For the first time this season, the defending champion Boston Celtics rested each of their top 6 players on the same night. And for the first time this season, the team failed to score at least 90 points.
When all was said and done after Tuesday night’s beat down by the Orlando Magic on the second leg of back-to-back games, Boston had suffered it’s worst loss since 2023 — a 96-76 defeat. But unlike the Celtics, who’ve been locked into the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference since Tuesday, the Magic needed a victory Wednesday to clinch a home game in the play-in round of the NBA playoffs.
“Orlando is a good team,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla told reporters after the game. “I think they’re well coached, I think they’re physical, they play hard on both ends of the floor. They test you. It’s a good team and I saw our guys compete to the best that they can, working to execute and put things together, but we just ran out of gas. Orlando played great but I appreciate our guys and their mindset to compete and give us a chance.”
‘What Are We Doing Here?’
When pressed further about his team’s offensive struggles, Mazzulla responsed candidly, citing their late arrival to Orlando following an overtime victory in New York City the previous night. Only one other time this season have the Celtics tipped off within 24 hours of their last game — though Mazzulla’s squad narrowly won that matchup.
Not to mention that his team was playing without regulars Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Kristaps Porzingis, Jrue Holiday, Derrick White, and Al Horford.
“I appreciate everyone’s creativity in the type of questions that they’re asking,” Mazzulla told reporters gathered in the media room. “But we got to the hotel at 4:30 in the morning. That was really fun what you guys did there. But what are we doing?”
Boston’s 76 points was its lowest points total in a game since 2023.
Who Did What?
Even with elevated minutes for sharpshooters Payton Pritchard and Sam Hauser, the Celtics struggled from beyond the arc with just seven made three-pointers as compared to Orlando’s 16. Pritchard (10 assists), who earlier this year broke the NBA record for most three-pointers made off the bench, connected on just one trey in the contest on his way to a team-high 15-point effort.
Baylor Scheierman also finished with 15 points for Boston in his first NBA start, while Luke Kornet (14 points, three rebounds), Neemias Queta (11 points, seven rebounds), and Hauser (10 points, three rebounds) also scored in double figures. Franz Wagner (game-high 23 points) led Orlando with his 12th straight game with at least 20 points, followed by Cole Anthony (18 points), and Paolo Banchero (15 points).
“Unfortunately, we didn’t really hit too many of our good looks from three which obviously hurts, especially in the modern NBA,” Pritchard told reporters in Orlando. ‘‘Sleep plays a part in fatigue. You get in at 4:30 a.m., so it’s not easy but it’s also not an excuse. So you have to find ways to win. That is the disappointing part of it, you learn from it, you grow from it and you move on.”
What’s Next For The Celtics?
The Celtics (59-21) will wrap up their regular-season schedule with a pair of home games against the Charlotte Hornets (19-61) on Friday and Sunday respectively. The Hornets head into those games fresh off five-straight losses.
From there, Boston will open the playoffs against the winner of the No. 7 vs. No. 8 play-in game.
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