Beede’s Breakdown: Magic fall to Celtics, play at 76ers in NBA Play-In

Q: What was the final score of the Magic vs. Celtics game?

The final score was 113-108 in favor of the Boston Celtics.

Q: Why did the Orlando Magic drop to the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference?

The Magic dropped to the eighth seed after losing to the Celtics, which prevented them from securing homecourt advantage in the Play-In Tournament.

Q: Who scored the go-ahead shot for the Celtics against the Magic?

Luka Garza scored the go-ahead shot for the Celtics with a three-pointer late in the game.

Q: When and where will the Magic play in the Play-In Tournament?

The Orlando Magic will play against the Philadelphia 76ers in the Play-In Tournament following their loss to the Celtics.

BOSTON — For the second time in the last three years, the Magic had to wait until the final day of the NBA regular season to find out where they’d be headed for the postseason.

Needing a win in Boston to secure at least homecourt advantage in the Play-In Tournament as the No. 7 seed in the East, Orlando dropped the ball and fell 113-108 at TD Garden on Sunday night.

The result means the Magic drop to eight in the Eastern Conference and will travel to Philadelphia for the Play-In Tournament.

Trailing the Celtics by 13 points entering the fourth quarter, the Magic tied the game at 108-108 with 35.5 seconds left when Jalen Suggs sunk his seventh 3-pointer of the night. Luka Garza responded with a triple of his own to put Boston back in front by three with 31.6 seconds left in the game.

Garza’s 3-pointer ended up as the go-ahead shot when free throws from Jordan Walsh with 7.9 seconds remaining put Boston ahead by five points.

With the No. 2 seed already locked up, the Celtics (56-26) only made eight players available. Boston regulars Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, Neemias Queta, Sam Hauser, Payton Pritchard, Hugo Gonzalez and former Magic center Nikola Vucevic all sat out due to various minor injuries.

Instead, it was Baylor Scheierman (30 points), Ron Harper Jr. (27) and Garza (27) who combined for 84 points in the five-point win.

The Magic failed to take care of the ball; the Celtics scored 23 points off 19 Orlando turnovers.

There was a chance for the Magic (45-37) to jump into the top six of the East but the No. 6 Raptors handled their business against the Nets at home. Philadelphia, Orlando’s matchup in the Nos. 7-8 Play-In game, also won, beating the Bucks on Sunday.

With the regular season complete, the Magic now travel to Philadelphia to face the 76ers on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. The winner earns the No. 7 seed in the playoffs. The loser will host the winner of the Nos. 9-10 game (Charlotte and Miami) to earn the No. 8 seed in the first round.

The Sixers and Magic finished with identical records, but the 76ers won two of the three games against the Magic this season to hold the tiebreaker for the right to host the Play-In contest: 136-124 at home Oct. 27, 2025, and 103-91 in Orlando on Jan. 9. the Magic won 144-103 last Nov. 25.

Third-quarter swing

The Magic led the Celtics 61-52 at the half, but never closed the door on a potential comeback from Boston.

Making mistakes on both ends of the floor, Orlando allowed the Celtics to catch fire from distance in the third quarter and take control of the contest.

Boston shot 9-of-16 from 3-point range in the third period and ultimately outscored the Magic 42-20 in the quarter. On the other end, the Magic shot 1-for-7 from distance as Boston built a 94-81 lead entering the fourth.

Desmond Bane’s off night

Desmond Bane became one of only four players in the NBA to play and start in all 82 games this season. He is the first Orlando player since Dwight Howard in 2009-10 to start in all 82 games, the team said.

After scoring a quick four points and recording an assist in the first six minutes of the game, Bane sat until the 11:17 mark of the fourth quarter. The Celtics led by 11 points. Bane played 11 more minutes and ended 3-for-8 from the floor with 8 points. His 3-pointer with two minutes left brought Orlando within four points.

Rest of starters

Franz Wagner knocked down his first pair of 3-pointers and was one of two Magic players to post 14 points in the first half. The other was Suggs, who shot 4 for 9 from distance before the break.

Paolo Banchero’s night was a bit of a mixed bag. Although he neared a first-half triple-double with 12 points, six rebounds and six assists, the Magic forward shot 4-for-11 from the field and recorded two turnovers.

Banchero (23 points), Wagner (20 points) and Suggs (23) totaled 66 points.

Wendell Carter Jr. picked up three fouls in 12 first-half minutes and finished with just 3 points in 31 minutes.

Free points

Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley often discusses the importance of defending without fouling, but the Magic did not heed that strategy Sunday.

Unlike Orlando, which entered leading the league in free-throw attempts per night (27.4), the Celtics entered averaging the fewest free throws per night (18.7).

Boston shot 17-for-17 from the free throw line in the first half and finished 22-for-22.

Meanwhile, the Magic shot 24-for-30.

Jason Beede can be reached at jbeede@orlandosentinel.com