The Celtics ended their season with a win no one thought was coming over the Orlando Magic. Down eight players, they beat up on an Orlando team with all of their rotation players playing.
Inspired performances from Baylor Scheierman (30 points, seven assists, and seven rebounds), Ron Harper Jr. (27 points, seven rebounds, four assists, and three steals), and Luka Garza (27 points and 12 rebounds)led the way for Boston as they pushed the Magic to the brink.
Here's what stood out:
The Orlando Magic would be a great first-round playoff matchup for the Celtics
Boston’s season-finale against the Magic carried the feel of a “nothing game” in the hours approaching tip-off. Eight different Celtics were given the day off as the team had already secured the two-seed with Friday’s win over the New Orleans Pelicans.
As for the Magic… this game meant something to them. They had to try and pick up their 46th win of the year in a last-stitch effort to avoid the Play-In Tournament. Orlando’s performance with their postseason life potentially on the line showed you exactly why in the position that they’re in.
The Celtics, despite hardly getting any rim pressure early (16 of their 23 shots came from three), hung around through the opening 12 minutes. They kept pace through halftime and then turned up the intensity by a billion in the third quarter.
Boston outscored Orlando 42-20 in the third where they buried three after three, each of which sucked more and more of the life out of this Magic team. Like, watching each increasingly ridiculous shot find the bottom of the net just got funnier and funnier as time went on.
🚨 NEW CAREER HIGH FOR BAYLOR 🚨 pic.twitter.com/JEIRpk6OnG
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) April 12, 2026
At that point, regardless of how the game would end, it was ever apparent that this Magic team is probably the least-formidable first-round foe for Boston. Like, they got into a dog fight with Baylor Scheierman and seven guys who don’t hold a regular spot in the Celtics’ rotation.
What’s going to happen when Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum are out there?
It doesn’t mean Orlando will get stomped by 30 in a four-game sweep, but they clearly lack the focus and team chemistry to just handle business when presented with a perfect opportunity to do so.
This game was a testament to the Celtics' attention to detail
Boston's front office deserves all the credit in the world for how this season has gone. They, in a time of distress, put together a roster full of guys who just get it. They're about the team. They compete. They do whatever is asked of them on any given night.
Scheierman, the 30th pick in the 2024 NBA Draft dominated this game for stretches. Ron Harper Jr. who was just converted from a two-way contract dominated this game for stretches. Luka Garza, who was racking up DNPs in Minnesota last year and signed in Boston for the minimum last summer dominated this game for stretches.
That just doesn't happen in the NBA.