The Boston Celtics traveled to Florida on Monday night for a holiday date with the Orlando Magic. Injuries to Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner have hurt the Magic, but they’ve still been one of the best teams in the East. Meanwhile, Jayson Tatum was a late addition to the injury report.
Tatum’s eventual absence meant Jaylen Brown took center stage, and while he was amazing in the first quarter, Boston’s third quarter was ugly. Orlando fought all the way back after going down early, much like they did on Saturday against the Miami Heat. The Magic went up by three possessions early in the fourth, and by the end of the game, the Celtics lost 108-104.
Here are three studs and three duds from the Celtics’ loss to the Magic.
Stud - Jaylen Brown
Minutes before this game kicked off, Tatum was ruled out due to an injury. In his absence, Brown seamlessly stepped into a do-everything role for the Celtics, leading the charge on both ends against the Magic.
Brown’s playmaking stood out, as he led the Celtics in assists. He made a notable effort to work out of the pick-and-roll, whipping fast-paced dimes to bigs on the roll, including some great dishes to Luke Kornet and Kristaps Porzingis.
Defensively, Brown shined. His effort was incredible to watch. He was an absolute menace on the perimeter, pestering Orlando ball-handlers every chance he got.
And on top of all that, Brown’s scoring was as dominant as ever. He was getting to the rim at will, constantly powering through the Magic’s defense.
Though he turned the ball over a few times and slowed down in the second and third quarters, this was still a great game from Brown, and he turned it back up in the fourth.
Dud - Third quarter
After a solid first half, the Celtics looked like a different team at the start of the third quarter. Nothing was going their way, and it felt like they were getting in their own way at times, too.
From awful turnovers to bad offensive possessions, the Celtics’ lead slowly wilted. And all of that rough offense allowed the Magic to get out in transition, giving them a pathway to a comeback.
Joe Mazzulla had to burn a timeout just to get the Celtics back on track, but that didn’t even work right away.
A nice energy boost from Brown occurred mid-way through the period, but Orlando was already hot at that point. They were active on the offensive glass and were finding ways to score in the half-court.
The Magic turned this game on its head in the third, and the Celtics took a step back.
Stud - Jrue Holiday
As he so often does, Jrue Holiday was a complete pest on the defensive end in this game. Whether it was nabbing strip-steals or guarding big men in the post, Holiday’s defensive versatility was on full display.
Plus, his offense was crucial to the Celtics’ success on Monday night. Though his threes weren’t falling at an impressive rate, he was doing a bit of everything else.
Holiday’s bully-ball game was effective in the post, and he was even hitting a healthy dose of mid-range shots (pleasing those who think the Celtics are ruining basketball).
He had a rough turnover game, but on a night when the Celtics needed guys to step up in Tatum’s absence, Holiday was huge, especially in the fourth quarter.
Dud - Turnovers
The Celtics were up big in the first half, but it didn’t matter. By the end of the third the game was tied, and Boston’s turnover issues were as relevant as ever.
They were having troubles giving the ball away in the first half, but the problem spiked in the third. It felt like every other possession, the Celtics would throw an errant pass or mess up their offensive spacing.
As a result, the Magic were able to get out in transition and get easy buckets. From there, they got hot, and even their half-court shots were going in. Even when the Celtics weren’t directly turning the ball over, they were getting bad looks or getting blocked, giving up transition opportunities.
Boston has been one of the best teams in the league this year when it comes to taking care of the ball, but that simply wasn’t the case on Monday night.
Stud - Derrick White
Like many of his teammates, Derrick White dealt with some turnover issues in this game. But he was a huge source of offense for the Celtics and one of their most efficient players.
He was one of few players who was able to knock down his threes, and Boston needed that desperately. Plus, White brought his usual defensive prowess to the table, too.
On a night where the Celtics’ offense was ugly, White was a small glimmer of light. It just wasn’t enough.
Dud - Three-point shooting
The Celtics’ three-point shooting was awful in each of their two games against the Chicago Bulls. And on Monday against the Magic, it was more of the same.
What the Celtics have done from beyond the arc this season has been historic, but they’re stuck in a bit of a cold stretch right now. They couldn’t find any rhythm from deep in Orlando.
Derrick White was the only guy who was able to get anything to go from deep. Everyone else was either very inefficient or couldn’t make anything at all.
Boston found other ways to generate offense, including Brown’s drives, Holiday’s middys, and Porzingis’ free throws, but the Celtics’ inability to knock down shots was a massive hindrance on Monday night.