Three Key Storylines
- Jaylen Brown takes over
- Paolo Banchero can't carry Orlando
- A balanced effort by Boston
For the second consecutive game, the Boston Celtics defeated the Orlando Magic to stay undefeated this season at TD Garden.
They followed Friday's win over Orlando with a 114-97 victory on Sunday afternoon. The miniseries sweep avenged last year's losses to the Magic, who beat the C's twice on the same December weekend in Boston.
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The Celtics improved to 14-0 this season at home. They've won 21 consecutive regular-season games at TD Garden dating back to last year.
The Celtics (20-5) will begin a four-game West Coast road trip Tuesday night when they take on the Golden State Warriors (11-14). First, here are three quick takeaways from Sunday's action.
Jaylen Brown stays hot
Brown has played some of his best basketball over the last week, and his torrid stretch continued on Sunday afternoon.
The two-time All-Star didn't have his typical hot start, but he made his presence felt with nine points in the second quarter to help swing the momentum in Boston's favor. His contributions were much-needed while Jayson Tatum missed most of the frame due to foul trouble.
Brown put the exclamation point on his stellar homestand with a fourth-quarter takeover. He scored or assisted on Boston's first 12 points of the final period and finished with 17 (7-9 FG, 3-4 3-PT) in the frame. His 31 total points came on an efficient 12-of-20 shooting performance (5-8 3-PT).
It was another outstanding all-around game for Brown, who shined again on the defensive end while quieting the naysayers with six assists.
Paolo Banchero can't carry Magic
For a while, it looked like Paolo Banchero could single-handedly lift the Magic to a bounce-back victory at TD Garden. The first overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft notched 19 of his team's 31 points in the first quarter -- the highest-scoring first quarter of his young career.
It was also the highest-scoring first half (26 points) of Banchero's career, topping his previous high of 22 set against Boston last year on Dec. 18.
No one else on the Magic stepped up when the C's slowed Banchero down in the second half. The 21-year-old finished with 36 points (14-30 FG), and Jalen Suggs was Orlando's next-highest scorer with 13. No other Magic player scored in double figures.
Magic players not named Banchero combined to shoot 20-of-69 (29 percent) from the floor and 7-for-26 (26.9 percent) from deep. Their inability to find secondary scoring proved to be the difference.
Balanced Boston effort
While the Magic couldn't find any offensive rhythm outside of Banchero, the Celtics had contributions from every player who checked in on Sunday.
All five C's starters scored in double digits for the 10th time this season and the fifth time this month. Brown's 31 points were followed by Jayson Tatum (23 points), Kristaps Porzingis (15 points), Jrue Holiday (14 points), and Derrick White (10 points). Al Horford added eight points and was a team-best +19 off the bench.
The Celtics shot a scorching 47.4 percent from the field (45-95) and 47.2 percent from long range (17-36). They are now 20-1 this season when shooting 43.5 percent or better on field goals, and 18-0 when shooting at least 33.3 percent from 3.
Team defense also was a highlight in Sunday's victory. All five C's starters notched at least one block with White (three blocks) leading the group. Porzingis tallied 10 rebounds for a double-double in his return to the starting lineup.
