BOSTON — Before tip-off on Friday night, Joe Mazzulla spoke about losing. “I don't care if you lose to a nine-win team or if you lose to the second-best team—A loss was a loss,” he said. Fresh off a loss to the now-10-win Toronto Raptors, the Boston Celtics suited up for a game against the Orlando Magic on Friday night, and they carried that message with them.
From the very start of the game, this one was different from Friday. Whatever curse blanketed them north of the border just a few nights prior was lifted, and there was no coincidence. It wasn’t some magical presence that changed their tone. They did it themselves.
Boston was noticeably more energized on Friday night, whether it be their offensive movement, defensive intensity, or anything else in between. The result? Celtics basketball.
By the time the game came to an end, the Celtics earned a huge 121-94 win over a healthier Magic squad than the one that beat them back on December 23.
Here are three studs and three duds from the evening.
Stud - Jayson Tatum
This was an instant classic from Jayson Tatum. He was better than his stats showed in Boston’s loss in Toronto on Wednesday night, drawing in the defense and dishing out impressive passes. But Friday was different.
Rather than letting his playmaking lead the way, Tatum decided to give the Magic a taste of his scoring punch. And they could not stop him.
Highlighted by an incredible showing in the second quarter, Tatum sliced and diced the Orlando defense like he was the winner of Hell’s Kitchen. Gordon Ramsay would be proud.
Though his threes weren’t falling at the highest rate, it didn’t matter. Because whenever Tatum put the ball on the floor, Orlando was cooked. It didn’t matter who they put in front of him.
But while Tatum’s scoring stole the show, his defense may have been the most impactful part of his evening. Tatum was an off-ball deterrent whenever the Magic tried to move the rock. Every time there was a small opening for a drive or a chance for them to keep the ball flowing, Tatum was there.
It was an elite two-way performance for the Celtics superstar, and he spearheaded their bounce-back.
Dud - Occasional lapses
There was a noticeable difference between the Orlando game vs. the Toronto game, and it was on both ends of the floor.
In Toronto, the Celtics looked spaced out for long stretches of the game. Whether it was a lack of movement on offense or a disconnection on defense, something was off. That wasn’t there nearly as much against the Magic.
But it still existed.
That said, it was more normal against Orlando. The Celtics had the lapses that happen to every team throughout the course of the game. But when they did pop up, they were very clear.
It just means there’s more room to improve.
Stud - Kristaps Porzingis
Kristaps Porzingis was a cheat code on Friday night. With no Goga Bitadze, no Mo Wagner, and a defense that willingly gave up switches, the Magic were toast when Porzingis got in the post.
Boston continuously sought him out, and time and time again, he found a way to draw ideal matchups. Once he established position in the paint, it was all over.
The threes were going down for the big man, too, making him the ultimate Monstar against a Magic team that usually thrives with their physicality.
It took Porzingis until the third quarter to miss his first shot, and his dominance was painfully obvious (at least, for the Magic is was).
Dud - Bench opportunity
Joe Mazzulla wanted to see what the starting lineup could do in this game. An unusual cold spell had washed over the group in recent weeks, but on Friday night, they were back to their winning ways.
Stop-and-go offense was replaced by a seamless flow ball and player movement. Questionable decisions were left to the curb in place of meticulously-placed matchup hunting. Spacy defense was (for the most part) moved aside by a well-oiled machine.
With Tatum leading the way and some additional energy from Jaylen Brown, Boston’s starting group played a ton of minutes and looked great.
The bench didn’t necessarily do anything wrong, but they did not get a ton of opportunities to do much right, either. Mazzulla played his starters a lot more than he usually does in this one, and mainly in the first half.
They didn't play together in the second half, but that's because they didn't need to. Mazzulla gave them extended minutes in the first half, they built a lead, and the other groups capitalized on that for the rest of the night.
Stud - Jaylen Brown
This wasn’t a big scoring night for Jaylen Brown. At least, not for most of the evening. Quite the opposite, actually. Brown only took five shots in the first half. He wasn’t looking to score nearly as much as he normally does. But he still played a huge role in the Celtics’ success.
Brown’s energy on both ends of the floor was contagious. He was picking up guys near half-court on defense, driving into the paint to initiate offense whenever he got the chance, and constantly making all the little extra efforts on both ends.
It’s always a little harder to notice impact when it’s not obvious in the stat sheet, but Brown obliterated that notion on Friday night. His impact on the game was obvious.
Dud - Second-chance opportunities
It didn’t end up being a huge issue, but the Celtics gave up more offensive rebounds than they should have in this game. Orlando was struggling to generate consistent offense, but every once in a while, they got bailed out by an offensive board.
And even when they weren’t giving up rebounds, they were losing them, and Orlando got some extra looks at the basket.
The Celtics made up for the problem with solid defensive cohesiveness, but the Magic got bailed out a few too many times on Friday night.