Magic Come Up Short In Loss to Celtics

The Orlando Magic suffered a tough 112-96 loss to the Boston Celtics on Sunday, as Jaylen Brown went off for 34 points.

Early on, the Magic picked up right where they left off on Friday, leading the Celtics by five after one quarter. Aaron Gordon hit a three that led to a 7-0 run during the span. Fast forwarding, Orlando held a 40-37 lead with seven minutes left in the second quarter before Brown made a pair of 3-pointers to spark an 11-2 run. With a minute left before halftime, Jayson Tatum hit back-to-back 3’s that gave Boston its first double-digit lead.

On Friday, the Magic hit 21 threes in a win over the Nets, which was two shy of their franchise record. Sunday was a bit of a different story, as the Celtics hit 23 threes on the Magic, one shy of Boston’s franchise record.

With a 23-for-54 performance from three for the Celtics, the Magic just couldn’t keep up. Orlando would go on to trail for the rest of the game.

Stats

Nikola Vucevic shined again, leading all Magic players with 22 points, 13 rebounds, and 3 assists. Aaron Gordon had a tough day from the field, as he shot only 3-for-13. Gordon finished with 12 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists, after coming off a 38-point performance against Brooklyn.

Brown and Tatum were the stars of the game as they helped fuel Boston to their victory. Brown finished with 34 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists. In addition, Tatum added 23 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists.

Who Will Step Up?

With the loss to Boston, the Magic are now 14-28 in the East, sitting at the 14th spot.

Aaron Gordon has come back and given a spark to the team as he looks to continue to ramp back up to full speed. Gordon must be the one to facilitate and be a leader along with Vucevic, as there are many injuries in Orlando.

With just over a month left until playoffs start, the Magic certainly have some stuff to figure out. But for now, it seems like the Magic will focus on the future, rather than the present.

What’s Next?

The Orlando Magic will host the Denver Nuggets in a tough matchup on Tuesday night.

The Boston Celtics go on the road to take on the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday night.