Following a tumultuous week for the Celtics, they were able to briefly stem the tide with a 92-79 win over the Magic.
Boston’s win came on the heels of ESPN NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski’s reports of a team-only meeting on Wednesday afternoon. The emotional meeting came as the result of a 2-5 start for Boston and Marcus Smart’s comments about Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown’s lack of passing following a crushing collapse against Chicago on Monday.
Wednesday evening, however, was a slight sigh of relief. Jaylen Brown led the way offensively, but it was the Celtics defense that got the job done as they held Orlando to just 32.1% from the field.
While a win over the Magic won’t solve the Celtics’ problems, it at least put the fourth quarter against Chicago behind them for good.
On Wednesday in Orlando, it was the third quarter that proved to be the difference. After the two teams traded leads early, the Celtics used a 31-10 third stanza to put the game on ice. Brown finished with 8 points in the quarter, and a team-high 28 points on the evening.
Following a flurry of scoring this past week, Magic guard Cole Anthony struggled mightily from the field going just 2-11 from distance and 4-18 overall.
The Celtics improved to 3-5, and take on the Miami Heat on Thursday night. Here is a look at how the Celtics starters performed on an individual level:
