BOSTON CELTICS-ORLANDO MAGIC 92-95 (THE TABLE)
The story of the first half between the Boston Celtics and Orlando Magic
Paolo Banchero never shoots in the first five minutes of a game, but the good news for the Magic is that the game remains balanced at the start: 8-8 with both teams distributing responsibilities and with the Celtics starting with Grant Williams on the field in place of Jayson Tatum – absent for personal reasons. Then Banchero gets to work and his efficiency is enviable: 2/2 on the arc right away and 11 points in an amen, also adding a couple of rebounds. After 10 minutes of the match Orlando is 21-18, with Boston also enjoying the defensive impact of the returning Robert Williams III. The match remains pleasant and in total balance, so much so that the Celtics pull to equalize at the siren, but the score remains 26-23 in favor of the Magic after 12 minutes.
At the beginning of the second quarter, even with the reserves on the field, the script does not change: Orlando remains one step ahead, but the Celtics – despite some empty passes due to Tatum’s absence – remain in contact. After 16 minutes of play it’s 28-27 Magic. Then Banchero returns to the field and the evening starts to take off again thanks to super Paolo: the three-point shot still goes inside and the tally of Orlando’s No. 5 already reaches 19 points with three rebounds already before the long interval. The Magic thus reach +8: 43-35 for the guests. The closing is always signed by Banchero: 22 points at the end of the first half and “in principle, we are enjoying it”. A phenomenon: 50-41 for Orlando in the middle of the match.
The story of the second half between the Boston Celtics and Orlando Magic
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Horace Grant ex Magic a Sky: “Banchero a beast”
The match restarts as we left it: Orlando trying to escape and Boston following close behind, despite the miserable 32% shooting from the field. In fact, the feeling is that if the Celtics manage to find continuity from the field, they could take control of the challenge. The match goes up in speed: Banchero invents assists on one side, the Celtics fight despite the 12 turnovers compared to the Magic’s only four – it’s 59-59 with 17 minutes to go. At the end of the third quarter all the inexperience of the Magic comes out, losing a couple of bloody balls and finding themselves down with a fraction to go: 71-68 Boston, with 17 points from Brown and 13 from Smart on one side, while they are 26 with 5/6 from the arc for a super Banchero on the other.
How much Orlando’s reserves fight, in an entertaining match despite the various mistakes on both sides: six minutes from the siren it’s 80-80, in a balanced challenge that will only be resolved in the sprint. A couple of direct penetration lines and the experience of the Celtics weigh in, but the game is spectacular: +1 from Boston with less than four minutes left in regulation, with Grant Williams climbing into double figures at 13, while on the other side, Admiral Schofield has an impact coming off the bench, also with 13 points. Heavy points are needed and so Orlando relies on Banchero: triples and then two free throws won, exceeding 30. A spectacular finish with Orlando ahead 93-92 with 26 seconds still to play. The Florida team, however, resists and deserves the sixth win in a row, the second in 48 hours in Boston.
