Jayson Tatum lights it up again as Celtics take 3-1 series lead over Magic

Last updated: 2025/04/28 at 3:32 AM

BigP Published April 28, 2025

Jayson Tatum had 37 points and 14 rebounds, Jaylen Brown added 21 points and 11 rebounds and the Boston Celtics took a 3-1 lead in their NBA playoff series with a 107-98 win over the Orlando Magic on Sunday night.

Kristaps Porzingis scored 19 points, including a dunk of his own missed layup that put Boston ahead for keeps with 3:58 left. Derrick White finished with 18 points, seven rebounds and seven assists.

Paolo Banchero led Orlando with 31 points.

Game 5 of the best-of-7 first-round series will be played Tuesday night in Boston.

Franz Wagner had 24 points and seven assists for Orlando. Cory Joseph added 12 points, the highest-scoring output for a Magic guard in the series.

The 7-foot-3 Porzingis, who played only 22 minutes due to foul trouble, helped Boston overcome shooting 9-for-31 from 3-point range with dominant inside play in the first half.

The Magic shot 8-for-29 from behind the arc.

Boston guard Jrue Holiday sat out a second straight game with a strained right hamstring.

A dunk by Porzingis started an 18-3 run by Boston midway through the first half. A 3-pointer by Porzingis gave the Celtics a nine-point lead, the largest of the game, with 7:45 left in the second quarter.

The Magic never led after that, but a dunk by Wendell Carter Jr. tied the game at 91 with 4:18 remaining.

Reporting by The Associated Press.

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