Photos courtesy of Orlando Magic for Headline Surfer / TOP: Paolo Banchero moves in for the slam at 9:02 of the third quarter to move Orlando within 10 of Boston, 61-51. The Celtics prevailed, 109-100 to take game 2 in Boston for a 2-0 series lead in the opening round of the NBA playoffs on Wednesday, April 23, 2025 at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts.
By SERA KING / Headline Surfer
BOSTON -- The Celtics defeated the Magic, 109-100, Wednesday night at the TD Garden in Boston.
With fellow All-Star Jayson Tatum having to sit out Game 2 of the Celtics' first-round playoff series against the Orlando Magic, Jaylen Brown wanted Boston coach Joe Mazzulla to know something.
“He came in saying he was going to do everything it takes to win,” Mazzulla said.
Brown led the Celtics with 36 points, along with 10 rebounds and five assists, while Kristaps Porziņģis also added 20 points, 10 rebounds, and two steals.
Boston took a 2-0 series lead while playing without Tatum, who has a bone bruise in his right wrist and missed a playoff game for the first time in his career.
Boston led by 15 points in the second half, then held off a late push by the Magic. The Celtics hit 12 3-pointers and went 25 of 33 from the free-throw line. Derrick White and Brown had 17 of Boston's 28 points in the final period; White finished with 17.
Paolo Banchero led the Magic with a team-high 32 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists, while Franz Wagner also added 25 points, four rebounds, and four assists. Franz Wagner contributed 25 points, and Wendell Carter, Jr. tossed in 16 points along with eight rebounds, but it wasn't enough to stay with the Celtics.
Caldwell-Pope was booed nearly every time he touched the ball in the aftermath of his Game 1 foul on Tatum, which the Celtics' Al Horford later characterized as excessive.
Tempers flared between Caldwell-Pope and Horford when their feet got tangled up and both went crashing to the floor early in the second quarter. Brown then got into a verbal exchange with Caldwell-Pope. Referees reviewed the play and determined it was a common tripping foul on Caldwell-Pope.
Here is game 2, Paolo Banchero led the Magic with a team-high 32 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists, while Franz Wagner also added 25 points, four rebounds, and four assists. Franz Wagner contributed 25 points, and Wendell Carter, Jr. tossed in 16 points along with eight rebounds, but it wasn't enough to stay with the Celtics.
The Celtics lead the series 2-0. Game 3 is Friday night in Orlando.
Multimedia video
Headline Surfer YouTube download / Orlando Magic video / Highlight of game 2 of the Celtics winning over the Orlando Magic, 109-100, on April 23, 2025, in the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts.
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