With the No. 2 seed cemented, and the vast majority of their rotation players sidelined Sunday night, it would have been easy for the Celtics to roll over and wave the white flag against the Magic.
But as they’ve consistently shown over the years, the Celtics simply won’t accept defeat, regardless of who’s on the floor.
With Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, Neemias Queta, Payton Pritchard, Sam Hauser, Nikola Vucevic and Hugo Gonzalez all out, the Celtics turned to Ron Harper Jr., Max Shulga,
Baylor Scheierman, Jordan Walsh, Luka Garza, Dalano Banton, John Tonje and Amari Williams.
They stayed ready and showed what they can do, both individually and collectively, and kept the standard high. The Celtics hung around in the first half, broke through in a spectacular third quarter, then outlasted Orlando to earn a gritty, 113-108, victory at TD Garden.
Garza buried a massive 3-pointer with 31.7 seconds left to vault the Celtics ahead by 3, then Walsh hit two clutch free throws to help secure a stunning and thrilling triumph for Boston.
Scheierman paced the Celtics (55-27) with a career-high 30 points, 7 assists and 7 rebounds, Harper Jr. added 27 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals on his 26th birthday and Garza contributed 27 points and 12 boards. Jalen Suggs and Paolo Banchero led the Magic (46-36) with 23 apiece.
On a night where the Celtics technically had nothing to play for, and the Magic had something to play for, Boston looked like the more desperate team. When Orlando made a late push, Boston made another one of its own to seal it.
It became clear early on that the Celtics would take pride in putting forth a quality performance. Scheierman drew an offensive foul and Garza splashed a 3 on the opening possessions, setting the tone for the rest of the night.
Harper Jr., who has proven he belongs as a rotational player for years to come, added a putback to give the Celtics a 10-8 lead and force Jamahl Mosley to burn a timeout.
Old friend Banton pushed the pace and Harper tied it at 18 with a 3. The Magic responded with an 11-0 run to build a 29-20 edge through one, as Boston shot just 26 percent from the field.
A Scheierman triple trimmed it to 33-27, then a Shulga deflection yielded a Tonje corner 3. Tonje (10 points) continued to provide all-out hustle, and a Scheierman feed to Garza for an and-one and Scheierman baby hook kept momentum on Boston’s side.
The Magic, thanks in large part to their 26-19 edge on the glass, took a 61-52 edge into halftime. The Celtics, with a 17-of-17 performance from the line (their most makes in a first half since 2023), stayed within striking distance.
That’s when it went from intriguing to intoxicating. The Celtics then started the second half on an extended 25-12 run to pull ahead, 77-73, with 4:19 left in the third. If it wasn’t a Scheierman 3, it was a Harper Jr. dunk. If it wasn’t a Harper Jr. dunk, it was a Garza layup. It was a mix of hustle plays, extra passes and tenacity defensively.
Scheierman quickly went from feeling it to feeling it in a hurry. Suddenly, Boston wasn’t just in the mix; it was ahead, 94-81, through three, after a monster 42-20 third quarter.
Suggs cut it to 13 on a 3 with 8:16 remaining, then the Magic sliced it to 104-99 with 4:21 remaining on a Banchero layup. Tonje found Garza for a layup, Desmond Bane canned a 3, Suggs tied it at 108 on a clutch 3 with 34.8 left.
Then came Garza, who provided one of the most remarkable moments in a season full of them. For a group that exceeded expectations throughout the regular season, this was a fitting finale.
Now, it’s time for the playoffs.
