The reigning NBA champion Boston Celtics begin the 2024-25 post-season on Sunday by welcoming the Orlando Magic to TD Garden for game one of that opening round series.
Boston finished second in the Eastern Conference, winning their final regular-season contest 93-86 over the Charlotte Hornets, with Orlando advancing to the opening round thanks to a convincing 120-95 victory over the Atlanta Hawks in the play-in round Tuesday.
Match preview
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Down the stretch of the regular season, the defending champions looked primed for a repeat, winning 19 of their last 22 games since the beginning of March.
Joe Mazzulla's team were outstanding from beyond the arc in 2024-25, setting a single-season league record for three-pointers made (1,457), a rate that helped them achieve the fifth-highest effective field goal percentage in the NBA (56.1).
That was a crucial part of their success throughout the campaign, with 54 of their 61 victories occurring on nights when the Celtics made as many three-pointers as their opponents.
Thanks in large part to those extra points made from downtown, Boston enjoyed the third-highest points differential in the NBA this season at +9.1.
Since the beginning of March, they have not lost a single game when leading after the opening quarter, scoring 33 points after one quarter last Sunday.
Boston won their last six playoff games played at TD Garden last year, including a convincing 106-88 victory over the Dallas Mavericks to take the title.
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Some strong shooting from the floor enabled the Magic to make it to the opening round of the playoffs for a second consecutive season, boasting a 48.4 field goal percentage on Tuesday.
Overall, though, it was their defence that has taken them to this stage of the season, with Jamahl Mosley's team conceding the fewest points per game in the league this season (105.5) while also finishing first in blocks (6.0 per game).
While Boston showed remarkable accuracy from three-point land, Orlando were just as sharp defending the three-ball, giving up fewer attempts from beyond the arc than any team in the NBA this season.
The Magic were one of three Eastern Conference playoff teams with a losing road record in 2024-25 (19-22), though they have won six of their last seven away contests heading into this game.
Orlando were outscored in the fourth quarter three times this month, winning only once in that situation, while they were mediocre from the free-throw line this season, making only 77.5% of their attempts.
The Magic have won two of their last three games played versus the Celtics but have not beaten them at TD Garden since December 2022 (95-92).
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Team News
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Boston's Jrue Holiday missed their final game of the season with a finger issue but says he will be available and play with a guard in this series, while Jaylen Brown returned to practice this week following a knee procedure.
Meanwhile, Al Horford missed their final regular season fixture due to a right knee sprain, Kristaps Porzingis was sidelined with an illness, and Derrick White was unavailable because of a right neck sprain.
Jayson Tatum (250), Payton Pritchard (255) and White (265) all surpassed the Celtics franchise record for three-pointers this season, with Pritchard scoring a game-high 34 points in their regular-season finale, while Luke Kornet was two rebounds away from a double-double with 11 points and eight boards
In their play-in round victory over the Hawks, Orlando were missing Mac McClung, Trevelin Queen and Jalen Suggs, all of whom were dealing with knocks.
Also out for that contest were Ethan Thompson and Moritz Wagner, both of whom are questionable for game one this weekend because of injuries.
Franz Wagner had a double-double in their blowout victory Tuesday, with 13 points and 13 boards, Cole Anthony had a team-high 26 points with Wendell Carter Jr. scoring 19 in just 26 minutes of action.
Boston Celtics possible starting five:
White, Holiday; Tatum, Brown; Kornet
Orlando Magic possible starting five:
Joseph, Caldwell-Pope; F. Wagner, Banchero; Carter Jr
We say: Celtics to win by 10+ points
The Magic did a great job defending the three this season, but the Celtics shooting depth and momentum down the stretch of the campaign is too much for us to overlook.
Joel Lefevre
