The Orlando Magic lost to the Boston Celtics 108-97 on Sunday at the Kia Center. Orlando has yet to win a home game in the 2026-27 season, with all three losses coming to teams that made the playoffs in 2025-26.
“I love the way we competed,” Magic first-year head coach Sean Sweeney said. “As we did get down, we didn’t give in. We got ourselves back into it. We were right there. We just needed a couple more places to go our way, and we’d have been in great shape.”
Boston All-Star forward Jayson Tatum led the game in scoring with 32, while Tristan da Silva and Anthony Black both had 23 for Orlando. Franz Wagner set a new career-high with 12 assists but shot 5-of-20 from the field in the game.
“I think [Black’s] done a nice job in some areas, and in some areas you can improve,” Sweeney said. “In general, love what he’s bringing to the team, love his spirit, love his ability to attack on both ends, and now he’s just gotta keep building, keep ramping up, keep getting more aggressive, and understanding where the opportunities are for him.”
Game flow
Orlando started off red hot, opening the game on a 13-4 run with four three pointers. The Celtics would respond with a 7-0 run in 50 seconds sparked by Hugo Gonzalez.
The Magic would continue to struggle after the strong start, turning the ball over eight times in the first quarter. Boston took advantage and attempted 11 more shots and led by one to close the quarter.
“I think when you see that crowd being able to make that right play to your teammate is really important,” Sweeney said. “And credit them, they force turnovers. They are aggressive to go for steals. There’s a number of times where you have to be really strong with the ball and then play through contact when you do get it. And we can do a better job of that.”
In the second quarter, the Celtics continued to impose their will, grabbing eight offensive rebounds. Boston’s traveling crowd made it loud in the Kia Center after a 7-2 run by Tatum to extend the lead to nine, but an Orlando run cut the lead to five at half.
Coming out of the break, the Magic had back-to-back airballs while the Celtics’ duo of Neemias Queta and Paul George each made and assisted on a basket. Boston built the lead to 15 halfway through the third quarter after Derrick White hit a three.
Orlando then went on a 12-0 run, including back-to-back makes from downtown from da Silva. da Silva has made four or more threes in four of Orlando’s first six games, a mark he hit only five times last season.
“I think that’s what I’m out there to do is shoot threes and make sure that I space the floor,” da Silva said. “In some possessions, I kind of can already tell the gravity that it has opening up the floor for other guys.”
Sam Houser ended the scoreless run with a three, but the Magic made back-to-back threes to tie the game late in the quarter. Tatum drew a foul to regain the lead, but Wendell Carter Jr. tied the game again.
Déjà vu struck though, as Tatum drew another foul on the three-point line to take the lead going into the fourth. Tatum finished with 17 free throw attempts, only two less than the Magic.
“We put them on the free throw line a lot,” Black said. “It’’s just tough to win when you foul down the stretch.”
Black tied the game early in the quarter, and Wagner had a chance to take the lead for the first time since the first quarter. However, he missed the layup, sparking a 6-0 run while Orlando failed to make a field goal for the next four minutes.
Boston’s lead ballooned to 12 on a pair of Paul George free throws with five minutes to go. The Magic went on an 8-0 run to cut the lead to four, but back-to-back clutch buckets by Tatum put the game away.
“I thought down the stretch, there were a few times that we attacked and did a good job of getting to the paint, and then didn’t quite have a couple outcomes that we would have liked to have seen,” Sweeney said. “And then defensively, they had a couple tough shots made by Tatum. Obviously, he had a very nice game.”
Next up
Orlando will host Trae Young and the Washington Wizards for the team’s first back-to-back of the season. Washington has started the season well, having three wins before December for the first time since 2023.
“When you have a home-home back-to-back, you try to get as much rest as you can tonight,” Sweeney said. “[We will] meet at the arena tomorrow and go through what the other team’s looking to do, how we want to defend it, how we want to attack, and then just based on who we have, we use the best combinations that we can and then look to go get them.”
Tip-off against the Wizards is set for 7:30 on November 2.