The Boston Celtics didn’t make it easy, but they are now just a single game away from closing out their opening-round playoff series.
The Celtics held on late to grab a 107-98 win over the Orlando Magic in Game 4 of their series on Sunday night at the Kia Center. That gave Boston a 3-1 series lead and will send it back home with the opportunity to close out the series at TD Garden on Tuesday night and keep its quest to defend last season’s championship alive.
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The Magic kept things close for much of the night. They tried several times to mount a comeback, and nearly did so late in the fourth quarter, too. The Magic tied things up late in the final period after a huge Kentavious Caldwell-Pope 3-pointer and then a tip-in from Wendell Carter Jr. It marked the first tie in the game since late in the second quarter.
But that was as close as the Magic got. The Celtics rattled off a quick 10-1 run, and only gave up the single free throw after an Al Horford technical foul, to pick up the nine-point win. Kristaps Porziņģis kicked that run off with a huge and-one dunk and then Jayson Tatum drilled a fadeaway jumper over Paolo Banchero.
From there, Boston hit several free throws and kept the Magic’s offense largely stagnant in the final few minutes to grab the win. Banchero led Orlando with 31 points and seven rebounds in the loss. Franz Wagner finished with 24 points and seven assists, and Cory Joseph added 12 points and six assists.
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Tatum finished with 37 points and 14 rebounds despite shooting just 3-of-10 from behind the arc. He now has 32 career playoff games with at least 30 points, which is the second-most in team history, and he went a perfect 14-of-14 from the stripe. Jaylen Brown added 21 points and 11 rebounds, and Derrick White finished with 18 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. Boston went just 9-of-31 from the 3-point line as a team, but it only missed two free throws as a group.
The Celtics were without Jrue Holiday once again on Sunday. Holiday, who also missed Game 3, is dealing with a right hamstring injury. It’s unclear how long he’ll be sidelined.
Is Kristaps Porziņģis OK?
Porziņģis’ health may be something to watch for the Celtics in the near future.
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Porzingis did not take the floor with the Celtics to start the second half, and was instead riding the stationary bike in the tunnel just off of the court. He was spotted with a wrap on his right calf on the bench, too.
Porziņģis ended up returning to the game. He finished with 19 points and five rebounds, and was in foul trouble all night, but he appeared to be fine. The Celtics seemed to have a big spark when he came back off the bench in the fourth quarter, too. The injury, though, is just the latest he’s faced so far this series. He was on the wrong end of a flagrant foul in Game 2 when he took an elbow to the forehead, which left him bloodied and bandaged.
The Celtics are undoubtedly better when Porziņģis is both healthy and out of foul trouble. If they’re going to close the series out on Tuesday night, it’ll be much easier with Porziņģis fully available.
