Regardless of who took the court for the Celtics on the second night of a road back-to-back, the Magic viewed the defending champion as dangerous and treated it like a playoff game.
Orlando, which took the driver’s seat for the No. 7 spot in the East with a win against the Hawks less than 24 hours earlier, didn’t leave anything up for chance against the No. 2 team in the conference.
Outscoring the Celtics by 11 points in the third quarter, the Magic secured a key victory, 96-76, behind 23 points from Franz Wagner.
With the win in their final home game of the regular season, Orlando (40-40) clinches the No. 7 seed, homecourt advantage in the Play-In Tournament and back-to-back Southeast Division titles.
“[I’m] extremely proud of this group,” coach Jamahl Mosley said. “Just being able to endure through all the things — the injuries, the bump back, guys in, guys out — and still come away getting the division and giving yourself a chance at a secured seventh [seed] for the opportunity to get into the playoffs.
“I’m proud of our group for that, for being as tough as they are, resilient as they are to continue to push through no matter the circumstances.”
The win also secures the regular season series 2-1 against Boston (59-21), a team they could face in the first round of the playoffs if Orlando advances out of the Play-In as the seventh seed.
But Boston was without key pieces including Jaylen Brown (right knee), Jrue Holiday (right shoulder) Al Horford (right knee sprain), Kristaps Porzingis (return from illness reconditioning), Jayson Tatum (left ankle sprain) and Derrick White (left ankle sprain).
Still, the win offers a clearer picture of their pathway to the playoffs. The Magic will the host the No. 8 seed (Miami, Chicago or Atlanta) on Tuesday at Kia Center (TNT, tip-off time TBD).
With their home slate complete, the Magic hit the road for the final two games of the regular season — at Indiana on Friday and at Atlanta on Sunday.
What worked
Despite a slow start, Orlando’s offense eventually found its groove as Boston’s reserves failed to keep up.
Wagner found his spots and aggressively attacked the paint to total at least 20 points for the 12th straight game. He added 8 rebounds in 26 minutes.
Wagner helped power a third quarter when Orlando outscored Boston 31-20.
“We came out in that third [quarter] and shared it, moved it [and] defensively got after it,” Mosley said. “We’re going to continue to hit home on those things.”
The Magic’s defense did a solid job limiting chances from distance as well. The Celtics entered averaging the most made 3s (17.9) and most 3-point attempts (48.3).
Against Orlando, Boston shot 7 of 40 (17.5%). The Magic scored 25 points off its 16 turnovers.
What didn’t
Paolo Banchero, who missed his first three shots, recorded just 1 point in the opening frame. Totaling only 15 in 29 minutes, his 20-game streak of scoring at least 20 points came to an end.
Banchero sat out the fourth quarter after playing 37 minutes Monday.
The Magic failed to score in the final 4:30 of the first half. Leading by as many as 19 points before the break, the advantage was trimmed to 8 by intermission.
KCP update
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope only played 7 minutes in the first quarter.
He didn’t play in the second and was ruled out early in the third with a sore left knee. He missed a lone 3-point try and grabbed 2 rebounds.
He’s missed one game (Jan. 12) because of soreness in the same knee.
Mosley said after the game Caldwell-Pope is “OK.”
Magic guard Cole Anthony drives along the baseline Wednesday at Kia Center. He finished with 18 points despite illness. (Kevin Kolczynski/AP)
Anthony’s illness
Cole Anthony was piecing together an efficient first half from beyond the arc before he had to exit.
Anthony, who posted 10 points on 3 of 6 shooting from distance, puked near the Boston baseline after a defensive possession with 5:18 left in the first half.
Mosley jogged over to make sure Anthony was OK before the Magic guard made his way to the bench during a timeout. It wasn’t the first time he’s dealt with an in-game illness this season.
Anthony returned late in the third quarter and finished with 18 points when he added two more triples with 8 rebounds.
“I’m pretty good,” Anthony said when asked postgame how he was feeling. “I’ll be straight. It’s not the first time it’s happened. Sometimes you’ve got to get some negativity out of your body.”
Rookie watch
After missing the past three games as a healthy scratch, Tristan da Silva started the fourth quarter with the final result already determined.
He played the entire final frame and notched 5 points with 3 rebounds.
Jason Beede can be reached at [email protected]
Up next …
Magic at Pacers
When: 7, Friday, Gainbridge Fieldhouse
TV: FanDuel Sports Network Florida
Originally Published: April 9, 2025 at 9:09 PM EDT
