Sunday evening at TD Garden, the Boston Celtics bounced back from a poor showing against the Brooklyn Nets. It wasn't the loss, but their lack of effort that led to Jaylen Brown calling out his team afterward.
"Come ready to play or don't come at all," voiced the former Finals MVP after that 113-105 defeat on their home parquet. "End of the day, we all got a job to do. We [are] all getting paid to do what we love to do. Come ready to play basketball, or you're doing a disservice. Everybody's got to come and be ready to do their job and have great energy, enthusiasm, and want to win."
His team delivered the appropriate response against the Orlando Magic. Boston came storming out of the gates like Secretariat, racing out to a lopsided advantage. The hosts entered intermission with an 80-57 lead. That matches the fifth-most points they've scored in a half in franchise history, per StatMuse.
However, even in an opening quarter where so much went well, there was a concerning development.
Starting center Neemias Queta sprained his left ankle after sprinting back and elevating to contest an Anthony Black attempt at the rim. The fifth-year veteran then hobbled to the bench. Shortly after that, he made his way to the locker room.
It was no surprise that he didn't return to a contest that Boston held a significant advantage in for most of the affair. However, the Celtics are about to face the Detroit Pistons' beefed-up frontcourt of Jalen Duren, who has evolved into an All-Star-caliber center, and Isaiah Stewart.
The C's are also just starting a gauntlet that includes matchups against the New York Knicks, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Cleveland Cavaliers. Queta's absence arrives at a horrible time.
Fortunately, Sunday's game against Orlando made it easier for Boston to navigate not having him in the lineup.
Celtics turn to small-ball vs. Magic
The Magic were without starting center Wendell Carter Jr. They were also missing his top backup, Goga Bitadze. It made more sense to go small. That was music to the Celtics' ears.
To match the breakneck pace of the game and Orlando's personnel, Boston spent most of the second half with Josh Minott or Jordan Walsh at center.
After the win, Joe Mazzulla shared his assessment of how that experiment went.
Joe Mazzulla on Jordan Walsh and Josh Minott’s impact when asked to play center as the Celtics stuck with smaller lineups to better matchup with the Magic today, especially after losing Queta to an ankle sprain:
— Bobby Krivitsky (@BobbyKrivitsky) November 24, 2025
“I thought Josh gave us some great stuff…Jordan’s getting better… pic.twitter.com/AvgiUVl5nk
"They're just continuing to get reps [at a] different position," said the Celtics' bench boss post-game. "I thought Josh gave us some great stuff. Just his ability to shoot tonight, and also, he did a great job screening. I think Jordan’s getting better and better regardless of where he plays. So, we've just got to keep chipping away at those two guys. They’ve got a chance to really help us, and they’re getting better and better each game.”