Tatum-less Celtics Hold Off Orlando to Nab 2-0 NBA Playoff Series Lead

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

The Boston Celtics maintained their fine form despite the absence of injured Jayson Tatum and contained the gutsy Orlando Magic squad, 109-100, to win Game 2 of their NBA Eastern Conference best-of-seven first-round playoff series on April 24, 2025.

With the grueling victory, the NBA defending champions doubled their playoff series lead on Orlando, 2-0, and will fly to Kia Center with much-needed momentum for the upcoming Game 3 clash.

Filling the void that Tatum left was his co-star, Jaylen Brown, who finally got out of his shooting slump, exploding for 36 points built from an efficient 12-of-19 shooting from the field.

As soon as the official game whistle was blown, the Celtics ran several plays to Brown, who was always their main offensive option whenever Tatum was on the sidelines.

After hitting Paolo Banchero with a shimmy move that resulted in a tough layup, Orlando immediately received the memo and had a rough night containing the daredevil shooting guard.

Brown only dropped 16 markers in Game 1 off a salty 6-of-14 shooting, and he responded like an NBA champion.

He missed only two three-pointers out of seven total attempts and got to the free-throw line eight times with only a single fumble.

Perhaps Brown’s biggest impact came when Orlando roared back and made a late push in the fourth.

He drained a huge three-pointer and threw down a coast-to-coast dunk that halted the Magic’s momentum.

After that sequence, the Magic only scored eight more points and gave up three more treys to the Celtics.

Orlando only had the lead once, during the opening quarter by just a point.

The Celtics immediately threw down a demoralizing scoring avalanche that steered them to a 20-point lead—more than enough to hold off the Magic’s late comeback attempt.

The keys to Boston’s win were the same as in Game 1, when they outrebounded Orlando by a dozen, 46-34, and converted more three-pointers, 12-7.

Although Orlando out-assisted the Celtics, the Eastern Conference powerhouse made up for it in the second-chance points department, tallying 20 markers off missed shots and loose-ball possessions.

Since the start of the regular season, Boston head coach Joe Mazzulla has emphasized the need to be more assertive in doing the dirty work, because that alone can help them win an NBA title for the second consecutive time.

Backstopping Brown during Boston’s successful home-court defense was Kristaps Porzingis, who added a double-double outing of 20 markers and 10 rebounds.

Derrick White, the team’s leading scorer in Game 1, chipped in an all-around effort of 17 points, six boards, and five dimes.

On the other hand, the Magic received another huge scoring boost from their 1-2 punch, Banchero and Franz Wagner, who combined for 57 points.

However, it was only Wendell Carter Jr. who joined them in scoring above the 15-point plateau, with 16 markers and eight rebounds.

Can the Celtics increase their playoff series lead to 3-0 and spoil Orlando’s hopes of grabbing a game on their home court?