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.
The Big 3 is playoff ready
Beyond Kyrie Irving and his 23 points, big man Al Horford had himself a game against the Orlando Magic.
Despite sitting the entire fourth quarter, Horford was 7-for12 from the field, scoring 18 points with seven assists and four rebounds. He was simply too much for the Magic to handle and one could argue that the Celtics would’ve completed the comeback if he had played in the final quarter.
But, as Brad Stevens admitted following the game, rest is important now as the team enters the playoffs. Although Kyrie Irving played the fourth quarter, the Celtics coach second-guessed that decision.
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"“I would’ve taken Kyrie out a little bit earlier,” Stevens said, as transcribed by Celtics.com. “But sometimes you can build a little big of something there when you come back from down 14 and it’s ten minutes left and you come back and tie it and have a chance to take the lead on a couple of occasions.”"
While the game didn’t mean much to the Celtics, it was an opportunity for the team to gain a little momentum and get themselves ready for the first-round battle with the Indiana Pacers. Gordon Hayward, who played the entire fourth quarter, said the team was definitely trying to win the game so that they can enter the playoffs playing their best basketball.
Horford also acknowledged that not resting players can only mean good things for the Boston Celtics as they head into the postseason grind.
"“I think it’s important,” Horford said. “Tonight, and this whole week has been good for us. W’eve been challenged, and I feel like our team has answered and played at a high level like we needed to. Tonight was just another night I felt like we played really well, but we just came up short.”"
In winning five of their last seven games, including home-and-home sweeps of the Indiana Pacers and Miami Heat, the Boston Celtics have certainly shown they can flip a switch.
Status of Marcus Smart
Now, let’s get to the injuries.
Late in the second quarter, the Boston Celtics saw their second scare of the night being helped into the locker room on Sunday night.
Holding onto his left side, Marcus Smart excited the game with what was later diagnosed an oblique bruise, which takes less time to heal than if it was actually a strained oblique muscle, which was the concern once he left.
Luckily, the prognosis is better than first anticipated, but means Smart won’t see action again until Game 1 of the first-round matchup against the Pacers.
"“Marcus Smart has an oblique bruise, which means he got hit right there,” Stevens said following the game, as transcribed by the Boston Herald. “And so, I guess that’s better than a strain or whatever, but we’ll see what that looks like tomorrow. He was a little sore but was walking around, which was good, in the locker room. So obviously, I’m glad we got out of there without anything else after that.”"
Before leaving the game, Marcus Smart led the team with four steals, which showed how important he is to the team on the defensive end of the court and as a vocal leader. His hustle and intensity on both sides of the court could be the difference in the team losing or winning a playoff game or series.
It looks like Stevens and the Boston Celtics escaped one scare, which leads us to the first scare and final takeaway.
Status of Jayson Tatum
It didn’t take long before the Boston Celtics got their first scare of the night.
Early in the first quarter, Jayson Tatum left the game with a left shin contusion and did not return to the game. As more of a precautionary measure and to make sure he is primed for the playoffs, Brad Stevens also decided to rest the second-year forward for the remainder of the game.
"“Tatum had a shin contusion that evidently he had before the game, and I didn’t know about it,” Stevens said. “But he just said it felt a little off when he jumped, so, you know, hopefully it’s nothing major, but he’ll get checked out tonight and tomorrow and we’ll go from there.”"
While Marcus Smart’s availability for the playoffs is important, Tatum’s availability and health are much more important because of what he can do on the offensive side of the ball.
In leading the team in scoring in Friday night’s big win over the Indiana Pacers, Jayson Tatum showed an aggressiveness to the rim that will make him just about unstoppable when he also has his jump shot going.
Needless to say, both injuries are something to watch over the next week as the Boston Celtics prepare to make a deep playoff run and redeem the up-and-down regular season that will end with the team not even reaching 50 wins.