The Boston Celtics are moving on to the second round of the NBA Playoffs after closing out the Orlando Magic with a 120-89 Game 5 win at TD Garden on Tuesday night.
The Magic led by two at halftime, but the Celtics absolutely demolished them in the third quarter, 36-13, to take control of the game. Boston closed the frame on a 22-4 run, and then led by as many as 34 points in the fourth quarter.
The Celtics’ 31-point victory is the largest playoff win by a team that trailed at halftime in NBA history.
Jayson Tatum led all scorers with 35 points to go with 10 assists and eight rebounds, and Jaylen Brown had 23 points for the Celtics. Brown scored 15 of his points after halftime.
The Celtics will now get some rest before the Eastern Conference semifinals. They’ll play either the Knicks or the Pistons, who will play a Game 6 on Thursday night. New York leads the series 3-2, but failed to close out Detroit Tuesday night when the Pistons pulled off a 106-103 win at Madison Square Garden.
No threes in sluggish first half for Celtics
The first half of Game 5 looked nothing like the second. The Magic bullied the Celtics for the first 24 minutes, and Boston turned it over nine times. Even wilder was the fact the Celtics didn’t make a single three in the opening half.
Al Horford hit a few long twos, including one with a toe on the line, but Boston went 0-of-6 from downtown in the first half. The Celtics became just the second team all season to go the first half without a three, joining the lowly Dallas Mavericks, who had a three-less first half on April 4.
The last time the Celtics went a half without a three in the playoffs was back in 2012, in a Game 1 loss to the Hawks in Atlanta.
The Celtics didn’t hit a three Tuesday night until Tatum splashed one down with at the 10:22 mark in the third quarter. After that, the floodgates opened, and Boston hit eight of its first 11 three-point attempts in the quarter.
After catching fire in the second half, Boston finished 13-of-24 from downtown in Game 5. We’ll save you some math: The Celtics connected on 13 of their 18 threes over the final 24 minutes against Orlando.
Celtics third quarter takeover
Despite the poor start and the Magic leading by nine at one point in the first half, the Celtics trailed by just two at the break. Boston got its act together in the third and took full control by outscoring Orlando, 36-13. The Celtics closed the frame on a 22-4 run and led by 24 going into the fourth quarter.
Boston did most of its damage with Orlando star Paolo Banchero on the bench, after he picked up his fifth foul at the 9:46 mark. The Magic led by one when he checked out, and then the Celtics ripped off a 30-9 run.
A Tatum three with 3:39 left in the quarter gave the Celtics a 68-60 lead, and the advantage grew to 10 as the Magic missed 16 straight shots from the floor. Horford got a friendly bounce on a corner three late in the frame to give Boston an 83-62 edge, as the Celtics connected on five of their eight shots from downtown in the third.
The Celtics scored on the final 10 possessions of the quarter and led 83-62 heading into the fourth. Brown led the way for Boston with nine points in the frame.
Another big night for Jayson Tatum
Tatum was electric throughout the game, as he hit 10 of his 16 shots from the floor and four of five from downtown. He was once again perfect at the free-throw line, as he connected on all 11 of his freebies.
Tatum has now scored at least 35 points in three straight games, and is the only player in NBA history to score 30 or more points, hit 10 or more free throws, and not miss a free throw in three straight playoff games.
Tatum is the first player in NBA history, regular season or playoff, to have at least 35 points, 10 assists, 8 rebounds, 4 three-pointers and a shooting line of at least .600/.800/1.000.
Incredible!
— Dick Lipe (@DickLipe) April 30, 2025
Tatum is just the second Celtics player to score 35-plus in three straight playoff games, along with Larry Bird.
Matt GeaganMatthew Geagan is a sports producer for CBS Boston. He has been part of the WBZ sports team for nearly 20 years. He moved over to the web in 2012 and has covered all the highs (and a few lows) in Boston sports.
