The Boston Celtics celebrated Easter Sunday with a convincing victory in Game 1 of its first-round playoff series against the Orlando Magic, and were perhaps on the receiving end of a little divine intervention.
On a day when Christians across the globe celebrate the resurrection of Christ, the TD Garden faithful saw their own prayers answered amid a late-game scare involving superstar Jayson Tatum. Early in the fourth quarter of Boston’s 103-86 win, Tatum hit the ground awkwardly following a hard foul from Kentavious Caldwell-Pope that was later upgraded to a Flagrant 1.
The Celtics’ six-time All-Star remained on the ground in pain for a brief period, but eventually rose to his feet with the help of his teammates while favoring his wrist. Tatum remained in the game, finishing with 17 points and a team-high 14 rebounds.
“It’s all right. I just fell on it, landed on it,” Tatum told reporters of his wrist, adding that a post-game X-ray had come back “clean.” “It was throbbing for a second but then it kind of went away.”
On a night when Tatum’s scoring was held relatively in check, Boston once again showed of a diverse offense that benefited from contributions up and down its roster. And it was Derrick White who had the hot hand Sunday, finishing with a team-high 30 points on 10-of-18 shooting.
White, who also pulled down four rebounds and tallied two blocks and a steal, was lights out from beyond the arc, connecting on a game-high seven three-pointers.
“It just means we got a million different ways we can win,” White said when asked what his performance meant for the Celtics going forward. “A lot of different things we could throw at teams and just a lot of faith and trust in every person that checks in the game. We got a lot of different weapons, a lot of different people that do a lot of different things. So, whatever the game calls for, we can make that adjustment.”
White wasn’t the only one who had a big game for the Celtics on Sunday. Payton Pritchard, who was earlier in the day announced as one of three finalists for the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year Award, finished with a playoff career-high 19 points with help from 4-of-6 shooting from beyond the arc.
Jaylen Brown added 16 points and five rebounds for the home team despite still playing through a bone bruise in his right knee, while Jrue Holiday added nine points and five assists.
“It comes from the guys just having an understanding that everyone is a weapon, everyone has a chance to impact the game,” Mazzulla said of his team’s well-rounded effort in Game 1. “I think Jaylen and Jayson lead in so many different ways, and one of the ways is empowering everybody around him. I think Derrick had 10 points off screens from Jaylen and Jayson there, and that’s kind of what it’s about.”
Paolo Banchero led Orlando with a game-high 36 points and 11 rebounds, while Franz Wagner (23 points, five assists) was the only other Magic to score in double figures. The visiting team appeared rattled by the atmosphere at times, and coughed up 15 turnovers that resulted in 24 points for Boston.
“It’s Game 1, there’s nerves. Lit crowd. Really loud,” Banchero admitted after the game. “So, not a total surprise that we struggled a little bit on offense, honestly.”
The teams will now have until Wednesday to rest up and get their nerves in check ahead of Game 2. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m.
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