Boston Celtics (56-26) beat Orlando Magic (45-37) 113-108 at home on Sunday, April 12, after falling far behind. The Celtics were down 9 at one quarter break and still finished 5 ahead.
The game, quarter by quarter
The Magic struck first, taking the opening quarter 29-20 and a 9-point lead after one. The teams matched each other with 32 points apiece in the second quarter; the Magic still led by 9 at halftime.
The Celtics won the third 42-20 to turn the game around, taking a 13-point lead into the fourth. The Magic took the fourth 27-19; the Celtics held on for a 113-108 regulation win.
What flipped it
The Celtics got more from their shots, finishing at 52.3% effective field-goal shooting compared with 46.2% for the Magic. The Celtics took better care of the ball, turning it over on 16.1% of possessions compared with 17.4% for the Magic. In a 5-point game, that shooting gap supplied the clearest edge.
The Magic did win one battle, second chances: ORB% of 26.9% against 18.2%. The Celtics made up for it elsewhere.
At roughly 107 possessions per team, the Celtics produced 105.2 points per 100 possessions to 100.5 for the Magic.
The Magic's reserves also made a difference, outscoring the opposing bench 31-18.
Who carried the comeback
Baylor Scheierman was the game's biggest individual force for BOS: 30 pts, 7 reb, 7 ast on 8-20 shooting. His Game Score of 24.7 led everyone. His team was +15 with him on the floor.
Jalen Suggs led the Magic with 23 pts, 6 reb, 3 ast on 8-17 shooting, good for a 15.5 Game Score.
Luka Garza (27 pts, 12 reb, 1 ast) and Paolo Banchero (23 pts, 10 reb, 11 ast) each recorded a double-double.
What it means
The result fit the pre-game Win Meter, which gave the Celtics about a 81% chance.
Across the last 11 meetings in our records, Boston Celtics lead 7-4.
The Celtics are now 56-26, and the Magic are 45-37. The Celtics last five before this game: W-W-W-L-W.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.