Boston Celtics lose magic touch: 3 takeaways from loss to Orlando

The Boston Celtics loss the final game of the regular season at TD Garden going down in defeat to the Orlando Magic 116-108.

It was almost a comeback, but down 14 points going into the fourth quarter, the Boston Celtics loss a game that ended up meaning nothing to a playoff hungry Orlando Magic team 116-108.

In clinching the No. 4 seed prior to the game, the Celtics really had nothing to play for in this game besides staying healthy.  Yes, there was an outside chance they could catch the Philadelphia 76ers for the No. 3 seed, but their current path that involves playing the Indiana Pacers in the first round and then a potential second-round matchup with the Milwaukee Bucks seems to be the easier path for the C’s.

With that being said, the battle with the Magic was more about Orlando needing the game to secure their playoff position and they played like it.

Led by Terrence Ross, Nikola Vucevic and Evan Fournier, who all scores 24 points or more, the Magic took it to the Celtics after both teams were tied at the end of the first quarter.

Like the Celtics have done over and over again, they did charge a comeback in the fourth quarter led by Kyrie Irving, who scored 11 of his team-high 23 points in that final frame. Boston, however, came up short missing a few three-point attempts under 2:00 left in the game that would have either given the Celtics a lead or brought them within a point of tying the game.

Despite the loss, the Boston Celtics still showed that they have fight in them and are primed for a post-season run.  Here are three takeaways from the 116-108 loss to the Orlando Magic.