The Boston Celtics encountered significant injuries and challenges in their Game 2 matchup against the Orlando Magic on Friday night. The Celtics now lead the series 2-1. They persevered through an ugly, chippy contest where their best players suffered injuries and were subjected to a very suspect officiating crew.
Kristaps Porzingis took a somewhat cheap shot in last night’s game, splitting his forehead open. The injury was so severe that the bloody gash required five stitches to close. As his health deteriorated, his declining state increasingly preoccupied both fans and team management alike. He was instrumental in the Celtics’ playoff run strategy for a reason.
Beyond the Porzingis injury, Jayson Tatum had his own challenges. After getting flagrant fouled by Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, he stayed on the court and missed free throws while holding his right wrist. As a direct consequence of that ridiculous foul, Tatum not only missed the first game of his playoff career. He earned redemption in Game 2 with a stunning recovery. Before the game, he was seen warming up with a black wrap on his wrist for support before rejoining the starting five.
Jaylen Brown faced injury concerns in the game. He dislocated his left index finger late in the second quarter. He got knotted up with Magic guard Cole Anthony on the catch. Even after this injury, Brown was able to make strong contributions to the game, notable scoring 19 points.
The Celtics played without starting guard Jrue Holiday, who missed the game with a right hamstring strain. This absence added to the difficulty for Boston as they fought to get their footing.
It was the Celtics’ worst scoring quarter of the season with only 11 points coming in the third quarter. They allowed 21 turnovers, which tied their season high. The turnovers turned into 26 points for Orlando and were the difference in the game’s outcome.
Tatum led the Celtics with a game-high 36 points on 10-of-22 shooting and made all 12 of his free throw attempts while grabbing nine rebounds. His performance was absolutely essential for Boston, with the health woes of his teammates plaguing him through the postseason.
“The treatment and stuff has been progressing every day, and I felt like I could try to go out there and play,” – Jayson Tatum
Though Tatum pulled out all the stops, frustration quickly set in over the nature of the game’s officiating. Brown worries about the physicality of the game, and the way that referees called it.
“They got away with a lot. So if you get away with it, I would do it too. That definitely affected us, but we’ll be ready for Game 4,” – Jaylen Brown
He went into a little bit about the tone of the game, saying that it had started to feel more frenetic.
“I mean, they’re just borderline fouling. That’s what it is. Borderline fouling and fouling and some of it, (the referees) call it, of course, and some of it they don’t, and that’s how it’s going to be,” – Kristaps Porzingis
Even Celtics’ head coach Joe Mazzulla admitted to the defensive pressure enforced by Orlando all night long.
“They obviously upped their ball pressure at the point of attack — full court and half court,” – Joe Mazzulla
The Magic showed their spunk and competitive fire against Boston this year, winning the regular-season series 2-1. Both ways, they were able to limit Boston to its lowest points per game and three-point field-goal percentage against any Eastern Conference opponent.
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