Boston Celtics vs Orlando Magic Match Player Stats (Apr 29, 2025)

The defending champions sent Orlando home on April 29, 2025, with a performance that started as a defensive struggle and ended as a blowout. Boston’s 120-89 victory at TD Garden clinched their first-round playoff series 4-1, but the final margin doesn’t capture how competitive this game was for the first 26 minutes.

Quick Stats Reference

First Half: Orlando’s Defense Stuns the Champions

Nearly 20,000 fans at TD Garden watched Orlando execute a defensive masterpiece through two quarters. The Magic held Boston without a single three-pointer for the entire first half. Zero for 6 from beyond the arc. The first time since October 2021 that the Celtics had been shut out from deep in a half.

Game officials Mark Lindsay, Tony Brothers, and Gediminas Petraitis called a physical contest that favored Orlando’s grinding style early.

Halftime Score: Orlando 49, Boston 47

The Celtics showed up wearing all-black uniforms, which players and media called a symbolic “funeral” for Orlando’s playoff hopes. Despite the bravado, Boston trailed at intermission.

Boston dealt with significant injury concerns. Jrue Holiday missed his third consecutive game with a right hamstring strain. Jaylen Brown, listed as questionable with right knee posterior impingement, received medical clearance just hours before tip-off.

Franz Wagner scored 17 first-half points for Orlando. Paolo Banchero struggled with efficiency at 3 for 10, but still managed 11 points. The Magic couldn’t build a substantial lead despite their historic defensive performance on Boston’s three-point attempts.

The Celtics adapted by attacking the paint repeatedly. They scored 24 first-half points in the restricted area and got to the free-throw line 12 times. Boston stayed within striking distance through patience and adjustment.

The 79-Second Sequence That Ended Orlando’s Season

Everything changed at 11:05 remaining in the third quarter. Paolo Banchero picked up his fourth personal foul, an offensive charge that turned the ball over to Boston. The score was 51-48 Boston.

Just 79 seconds later, at 9:46 of the third with the score tied 53-53, Banchero got whistled for his fifth foul while defending a Jaylen Brown drive to the basket. Magic coach Jamahl Mosley erupted at the officials, demanding a video review. The replay confirmed Banchero stepped into Brown’s shooting space.

Mosley’s post-game assessment was blunt: “All I saw is Paolo getting an elbow to the face or back into the face, and he got the foul. That was a game changer right there. Your best player picks up his fifth foul in the third quarter. It’s tough to come back from that moment.”

Without their primary offensive creator, Orlando’s structure collapsed. Boston opened the third quarter with a 19-2 run that included a suffocating 15-0 spurt lasting 4 minutes and 12 seconds.

Quarter Scoring Breakdown

Orlando won the opening quarter and stayed competitive through halftime. The third quarter 36-13 destruction ended any doubt about the outcome.

Boston took an 83-62 lead into the fourth quarter. The game was over.

Jayson Tatum: Playing Through Pain, Making History

Tatum finished with 35 points, 10 assists, and 8 rebounds in 34 minutes. He shot 10 of 16 from the field (62.5%), connected on 4 of 5 three-pointers (80%), and went perfect from the free-throw line at 11 for 11.

Context matters here. Tatum suffered a wrist bone bruise in Game 1 that forced him to miss Game 2 entirely. He returned to score 36 in Game 3, 37 in Game 4, and now 35 in Game 5. Three consecutive games over 35 points while dealing with a bone bruise that required constant treatment.

His free-throw perfection extended a ridiculous streak. Tatum became the first player in NBA history to make 10 or more free throws without a miss in three straight playoff games. Over Games 3, 4, and 5, he went 37 for 37 from the charity stripe.

He joined exclusive Celtics company: only the fourth player in franchise playoff history to record 35+ points, 10+ assists, and 5+ rebounds in a single game. The others? John Havlicek, Larry Bird, and Rajon Rondo.

Tatum’s Complete Game 5 Stats

Tatum broke Boston’s first-half three-point drought early in the third quarter with a confident step-back. That single make unlocked everything. The Celtics went on to finish 13 for 24 from deep after that miserable 0 for 6 start.

Complete Starting Lineup Statistics

Boston Celtics Starters

Jaylen Brown complemented Tatum with 23 points on 9 of 18 shooting. Brown and Tatum combined for 71 points, becoming the first Celtics duo in playoff history to post multiple games in a series with 20-point double-doubles and at least 2 steals.

Al Horford’s 2 points won’t grab headlines, but his 6 assists, 4 steals, and defensive anchoring defined Boston’s success. At 38 years old, coming off a 5-block performance in Game 4, Horford continued neutralizing younger, more athletic opponents through positioning and basketball IQ.

Derrick White’s +20 in 31 minutes reflected his impact. His 6 steals disrupted Orlando’s already-limited offensive options.

Orlando Magic Starters

Franz Wagner led Orlando with 25 points but shot 0 for 4 from three-point range. His game-worst -23 plus/minus shows just how badly Boston’s second-half surge went for the Magic while he was on the court.

Paolo Banchero’s 19 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists in just 29 minutes showed his value before foul trouble took him out. Here’s the damning stat: when Banchero played across the five-game series, Orlando was outscored by 9.2 points per 100 possessions. When he sat, they got demolished by 42.1 points per 100 possessions.

Bench Production Decides Close Playoff Games

Boston’s reserves outscored Orlando’s bench 30-17, providing the depth advantage that matters in the 2025 NBA postseason.

Boston’s Second Unit: Payton Pritchard and Sam Hauser each scored 10 points, with Hauser going perfect on 4 for 4 shooting. Luke Kornet added 9 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 blocks while shooting 3 for 3 from the field and free-throw line.

Orlando’s Reserves: Anthony Black contributed 8 points and 8 assists but shot just 3 for 10. Cole Anthony and Jonathan Isaac combined for 8 points on 3 of 11 shooting. The Magic bench managed just 17 total points with no one providing a scoring spark when Banchero went to the bench.

Team Shooting and Efficiency Comparison

The 19.1% gap in field goal percentage tells most of the story. Boston generated better looks through ball movement, recording 30 assists on 43 made baskets. Orlando struggled to create quality shots without Banchero orchestrating.

Orlando’s 15 offensive rebounds to Boston’s 3 looks impressive at first glance. But here’s what it actually means: 55 missed shots compared to 33. You can’t grab offensive rebounds without missing the first attempt.

The three-point shooting disparity grew massive after halftime. Boston went 13 for 18 from deep in the second half (72.2%) after starting 0 for 6. Orlando finished 8 for 38 overall (21.1%), including just 4 for 28 in the second half.

Three-Point Shooting by Quarter

Second Half Excellence: Zero Turnovers, Perfect Execution

According to the official NBA box score, Boston committed zero turnovers in the entire second half, excluding two garbage-time giveaways in the final 90 seconds. After coughing the ball up 9 times in the first half, they executed with precision for 22 minutes of competitive game time.

This turnover elimination came from simpler offensive actions, veteran decision-making, and Tatum making correct reads against collapsing defenses. Orlando’s offense stalling without Banchero reduced their pressure as well.

Joe Mazzulla addressed the turnaround in his post-game press conference: “We didn’t turn it over in the third quarter. It’s that simple.”

When asked about his team’s adaptation after the first-half three-point drought, Mazzulla explained: “You just have to find different ways. That’s what this series called for. Every series calls for different things. You have to be able to win in different ways on both sides of the ball.”

Before the game, Orlando coach Jamahl Mosley praised his counterpart: “I absolutely love it. Joe is an incredible coach. He does a great job of putting his guys in the right position, the right spaces after time outs, finding different situations to put guys in that have you constantly thinking throughout the game. This is the part of coaching that you love, that chess match of trying out what you can do without overthinking it.”

Series Context and Historical Significance

Boston improved to 31-0 all-time when leading a playoff series 3-1. Of those 31 series, they closed it out in Game 5 twenty times, Game 6 nine times, and Game 7 twice.

Orlando dropped to 0-7 all-time when trailing 3-1 in playoff series. They also extended their road Game 5 record to 0-8 in best-of-seven matchups. The Magic haven’t won a playoff series since Dwight Howard, Vince Carter, and coach Stan Van Gundy led them to the 2010 Eastern Conference Finals.

Full Series Averages (Games 1-5)

Jayson Tatum:

• 31.3 PPG, 11.3 RPG, 5.3 APG
• 44.7% FG, 36.4% 3PT, 90.2% FT
• 60.7% True Shooting Percentage

Paolo Banchero:

• 29.4 PPG, 8.4 RPG, 4.2 APG
• 43.5% FG, 44.4% 3PT, 65.9% FT
• 51.7% True Shooting Percentage

Banchero held his own statistically throughout the series. The 9-point gap in true shooting percentage reveals how much harder Banchero worked for his points compared to Tatum’s efficiency.

What Comes Next for Both Teams

Boston awaited the winner of the Pistons-Knicks series, which New York led 3-2 heading into their Game 6. The quick closeout gave the Celtics critical rest days before the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Jrue Holiday’s hamstring strain kept him out for three straight games. Coach Mazzulla called Holiday’s status “day-to-day” after the win: “Just doing everything he can to come back, doing everything he can to put himself in position and be a little bit better the next day.”

Extra recovery time for Tatum’s wrist and Brown’s knee didn’t hurt either. Boston’s depth, health management, and ability to close series efficiently checked the boxes for a defending champion.

For Orlando, this series exposed fundamental roster flaws. Their second-ranked defense couldn’t overcome their 27th-ranked offense. Elite defense keeps you competitive through 48 minutes, but May and June require scoring balance.

The front office responded aggressively in the offseason by trading for elite shooter Desmond Bane, addressing their most obvious weakness. Sometimes teams need a definitive loss to force necessary change.

Statistical Summary and Final Analysis

Game 5 between Boston and Orlando started as a defensive grinder and ended as a blowout. The Celtics shot 56.6% from the field and 54.2% from three-point range while committing zero second-half turnovers. Orlando shot 37.5% overall and 21.1% from deep while watching their offensive structure collapse when Paolo Banchero fouled out.

Jayson Tatum’s 35 points, 10 assists, and 8 rebounds on ridiculous efficiency (62.5% FG, 80% 3PT, 100% FT) earned him a place in Celtics playoff history. His 37 straight free throws over three games set an NBA record. His ability to dominate while playing through a wrist bone bruise separated him from ordinary All-Stars.

The 79-second sequence when Banchero picked up his fourth and fifth fouls changed the trajectory of the game, the series, and potentially Orlando’s franchise direction. Boston capitalized with a 19-2 run to open the third quarter, expanding that to 31-9 by period’s end.

Boston’s depth, experience, and tactical adjustments overwhelmed Orlando’s youth, defensive identity, and one-dimensional offense. Both teams have their place in the NBA hierarchy, but on April 29, 2025, only one was built for playoff success.

The stats from this playoff closeout victory showed the defending champions at their best. When the three-pointer wouldn’t fall for two quarters, they attacked inside. When momentum shifted at 9:46 of the third quarter, they capitalized immediately. When Orlando showed cracks, Boston applied maximum pressure.

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