Orlando Magic will look for more secondary points on Wednesday when they visit Boston Celtics for Game 2 in their Eastern Conference first round series.
Despite 36 points from Paolo Banchero and 23 from Franz Wagner, Orlando lost the series opener 103-86 in Boston on Sunday. No other magical player got more than seven points.
Orlando’s three other starters combined for 10 points: Point guard Cory Joseph was speechless, Centrum Wendell Carter Jr. Had four points and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope finished with six.
“Our ability to make sure that when we get rebound or we turn them, we must make sure we convert,” said Orlando coach Jamahl Mosley. “You have to get simple baskets when you have a high defense as they are.”
Magin held Jayson Tatum to 17 points and Jaylen Brown to 16, but Boston’s supporting role gave plenty of crime. Derrick White was 7-AV-12 from 3-point territory and threw at 30 points, and Payton Pritchard came from the bench to make 19-two more than Orlando’s non-starters.
“It’s something that a team we harpable to come in is that they have two main guys, but it is really the other guys who kill you,” Banchero said. “I think we just have to do a better job of getting these guys from the line because they really kill you from three. … you do a good job on the most important guys, but some of the role guys on the wings, they kill you. So we have to do a better job of removing them.”
Boston beat 49-48 at half time, but outscored orlando 30-18 in the third and 25-19 in the fourth.
“When I looked back at it, that momentum was in the third quarter of great,” Mosley said. “We are intentional and intentional in some of our defensive communication pieces … (we) had a couple of mishaps. That was what came to their spark.
“We have to push that ball up on the floor much faster so we do not sit down and play against a set -byte defense.”
Brown got 10 of its 16 points during the third quarter. Jrue Holiday added nine points during the third quarter after failing to score during the first half.
“I think that during the first half, (the magical) type of control of the game’s intensity level,” said Brown. “They were more physical than us, and during the second half of the year we shifted it.”
Celtics had a temporary fear early in the fourth quarter when Tatum drove to the basket and was severely dilapidated by Caldwell-Pope. Tatum landed difficult on his right wrist and remained on the floor in obvious discomfort, but remained in the game.
Tatum said that his -ray came back negatively and that he is feeling better after the match.
“I just landed on it,” he said. “It was banking for a second and then went away.”
After game 2, the best-seven series will be shifted to Orlando for Game 3 (Friday) and Game 4 (Sunday).
“The goal is to try to get one (on the road),” Banchero said. “Game 2 we have to come out with a higher focus level and just do what we can do to win a win on the road because we don’t win this series if we don’t. So that’s the goal.”
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