Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum delivered a standout performance as he guided his team to victory over the Orlando Magic, wrapping up the playoff series in five games. Tatum, who had been dealing with a wrist injury throughout that series, responded with a vengeance. He went on to score a minimum of 35 points in three straight games! His tremendous play was critical, powering Boston to an 83-62 lead in the championship game.
Tatum’s path as the headlining storyline of this series was a rough one from the start in Game 1. He hurt his wrist after taking a hard foul. As such, he ended up missing Game 2, making it questionable as to whether or not he’d be able to make any contributions to the Celtics’ playoff run. Yet, when he returned, Tatum was immediately able to put any concern about his health or performance to rest.
In that winner-takes-all game, Boston took command by outscoring their opponents 31-9 after falling behind early on. The Celtics’ defense and offensive strategy proved effective, as they dominated the court despite an unusual statistic: they had not entered halftime without making a three-pointer since 2021. That streak didn’t stop until Tatum connected on Boston’s first three-make of the game just a minute or two into the third quarter.
His second three-pointer arrived just seven minutes later, more than doubling the Suns’ momentum. Tatum’s performance, bouncing back from second quarter foul trouble to land 35 points on the box score, simply reinforced that return to form. Next to him, teammate Jaylen Brown added 23 points, giving Boston a terrifying two-headed offensive monster.
The Magic’s Paolo Banchero had a solid outing with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Banchero had an impressive performance. He immediately found himself in foul trouble. He picked up his fourth foul early in the third quarter and then got his fifth foul called on him just over a minute later. This was especially devastating to Orlando’s chances as they could never hold onto their big early lead of 51-47.
Banchero had a spectacular game, making all 11 of his free-throw attempts. He was 10-for-16 from the field, including four of five from beyond the arc. Unfortunately for Shaw, no amount of Magic could help their team outlast Boston’s 4/1 performance that was just too big to topple.
The loss represents another setback for Orlando, who have not advanced to the second round of the playoffs since 2010. The Celtics’ win sends them further into the playoffs. Yet it goes a ways towards showcasing their diversity and ferocity of spirit as they hunt for the title.
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