Derrick White had seven 3-pointers, scoring 30 points, and the Boston Celtics began defense of their NBA championship with a 103-86 win over the cold-shooting Orlando Magic in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference first-round series.
Game 2 is Wednesday night in Boston.
Orlando had a 49-48 lead at halftime, led by Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, but were outscored by 12 in the third quarter.
Payton Pritchard scored 19 off the bench for the Celtics, who continued their three-point barrage from the regular season, hitting 16 of 37 from beyond the arc. Jayson Tatum had 17 points, to go along with 13 rebounds and four assists, and Jaylen Brown added 16 points.
Banchero led Orlando with 36 points and 11 rebounds, and Wagner finished with 21, but the Magic were sloppy with the ball, turning it over 15 times, leading to 24 Celtics points.
Magic vs. Celtics score
Boston Celtics 103, Orlando Magic 86 (Final)
Derrick White stats
- Minutes: 36
- Points: 30
- Rebounds: 4
- Assists: 2
- Steals: 1
- Blocks: 2
- Field goal percentage: 55.6% (10-for-18)
- 3-point percentage: 58.3% (7-for-12)
Paolo Banchero stats
- Minutes: 42
- Points: 36
- Rebounds: 11
- Assists: 4
- Steals: 1
- Blocks: 1
- Field goal percentage: 51.9% (14-for-27)
- 3-point percentage: 57.1% (4-for-7)
Magic vs. Celtics halftime update
The Magic used a strong second quarter to take a slim halftime lead over the top-seeded Celtics. Paolo Banchero had 19 points and five rebounds, and Franz Wagner added 15 for Orlando. The Magic put up 31 points in the second quarter to the Celtics’ 22.
Derrick White leads Boston with 16 points, and Payton Pritchard added 11 off the bench. But Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown both struggled in the opening half. Tatum had just six points of 3-for-9 shooting and missed all three of his 3-pointers. Brown also had six points, shooting 3-for-8.
Both teams shoot 44 percent from the field, and Boston, which set the NBA single-season record for most three-pointers by a team, hit 7 of 16 beyond the arc in the first half.
What time is Celtics vs. Magic?
Game 1 of the NBA playoff series between the Boston Celtics and Orlando Magic is at 3:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, April 20.
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How to watch Celtics vs. Magic: Time, TV, streaming info
- Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
- Location: TD Garden (Boston, Mass.)
- TV: ABC
- Stream: Fubo, YouTube TV