Anfernee Simons ignited the Celtics in the first half, Luka Garza shifted the momentum late and Jordan Walsh provided the finishing touches to steer the Celtics to a 111-107 road win over the Magic on Sunday.
Simons poured in all 25 of his points before the break, putting on a show in his hometown. Garza contributed 16 points, 8 rebounds and 3 assists in 17 minutes and delivered in the clutch. Walsh canned a big-time corner 3 with 13.2 seconds remaining to extend the margin to five, and Boston held on from there.
The Celtics (5-6), who had lost five straight games at Orlando coming in, pieced together a tremendous fourth quarter to find a way in a tight game. They used a 13-0 flurry to turn a two-point deficit into an 11-point edge early in the fourth and never relented, providing an avalanche of hustle plays to outlast the Magic (4-6).
Orlando overwhelmed the Celtics with a steady dose of physicality early, building an 8-0 edge that ballooned to 21-9. The Magic pressured the ball and made life difficult for the Celtics’ shooters, contesting nearly every look and forcing Boston into ill-advised attempts.
Enter Simons. When he’s at his best, Simons provides an immediate jolt of energy and changes the complexion of the game. That’s exactly what he did Sunday, finding a rhythm almost immediately en route to a whopping 25 first-half points.
Simons helped the Celtics trim the deficit to 33-30 through 1, despite 54.5 percent shooting from the Magic. Then he caught fire early in the second, erupting for a personal 14-2 run in 2 minutes, 11 seconds, to vault the Celtics ahead, 44-35, early in the quarter.
Everyone in the building knew the ball was going his way, but it didn’t matter, as he hit a series of stepbacks in masterful fashion. Simons scored the most points off the bench in the first half for the Celtics in the play-by-play era (since 1997), eclipsed 6,000 career points and became the 13th-youngest player to reach 1,000 career 3-pointers in the process.
Derrick White (21 points), with his parents Richard and Colleen in attendance on Richard’s birthday, also made his presence felt. Hustle from White, Hugo Gonzalez and Jaylen Brown (27 points) helped the Celtics head into halftime knotted at 54.
A tight third quarter followed, as Brown and Paolo Banchero (28 points, six turnovers) traded blows and Neemias Queta provided plenty of hustle. Garza gave the Celtics a 76-75 advantage with a gritty and-one late in the quarter, but Orlando claimed an 80-78 edge heading to the fourth.
Three-pointers from Walsh and Gonzalez put Boston ahead early in the fourth, then a White jumper and three consecutive buckets from Garza extended the margin to 96-85 with 5:50 remaining.
Queta fouled out with 3:30 remaining. Banchero cut it to 2, then Brown buried a clutch 3 to make it 104-99 Celtics with 1:35 on the clock. Banchero scored four quick ones to trim it to 104-103, then White canned a massive 3 with 45 seconds remaining.
Jalen Suggs cut it to 107-105 before Walsh hit biggest the shot of both the night his career to this point.
That was just enough, as the Celtics prevailed in thrilling fashion on the road. It was a true team effort, and it offered a glimpse into what this team is capable of accomplishing.
