The Celtics spent a taxing three-day weekend in Orlando.
It began with a return to NBA Cup play, where the Celtics watched a fourth-quarter lead unravel into a nightmarish 26-14 Magic run on Friday night. Boston chalked up the defeat — and its late-game Jenga tower collapse — to “growing pains” and a steep “learning curve.” So when last season’s first-round playoff foes returned for the second half of a rare back-to-back on Sunday, the Celtics were starving for vengeance — and their performance reflected it.
Boston’s defense held Orlando to a frigid 23.3% from beyond the arc, and the Celtics delivered a few late-game daggers to seal a 111-107 win at the Kia Center.
“I think it was great. I’m gonna keep saying it,” Jaylen Brown said. “Tonight was a great run for us on the road and how we responded to the last game. Last game, I feel like we were in a position to win — we kind of let it get away from us a little bit, and maybe our spirit was down a little bit. But we came back out, responded well. Didn’t start off the game great, but didn’t give up a 40-point quarter today, so that was big. And then we just had some big-time guys make some big-time plays, and that’s what we needed.”
To start the fourth quarter, the Celtics found themselves in a familiar spot in Orlando — chasing the win column, this time facing a manageable two-point deficit with 12 minutes to play. Brown led the way with 27 points, Anfernee Simons added 25 off the bench, and those eager to prove themselves chipped in with timely plays that helped push the team across the finish line.
Third-year wing Jordan Walsh, emerging as Boston’s latest quietly impactful difference-maker, knocked down a critical go-ahead 3-pointer to put the Celtics up 110-105 with 13.2 seconds remaining. Orlando’s Paolo Banchero hung his head in defeat under the basket, while Walsh returned to Boston’s sideline to a wave of celebration, as teammates leapt to their feet, cheering and embracing the 21-year-old’s big moment.
Walsh finished with six points, six rebounds, four assists, and two steals in just 13 minutes off the bench, providing exactly what the Celtics needed, when they needed it.
However, it wasn’t only Walsh who delivered in the decisive moments.
Rookie Hugo González, too, supplied the Celtics with a vital 3-pointer — his only shot attempt of the night — playing 13 minutes off the bench.
Those contributions, combined with a more cohesive performance than what Boston showed Orlando 48 hours earlier, became the latest encouraging stepping stone in what will be a long, long Celtics season.
“The game, it always comes down to three things: we didn’t get beat in transition, we limited them to one shot, and we got good shots at the other end — and we crashed and got offensive rebounds,” Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla said. “We just made those connection plays. We got back on defense, rebounded, got out, got some easy ones where we ran, made some shots — and if we didn’t make them, we got a couple of extra possessions. Hugo made a big shot, Jordan made two big shots, and I thought Payton (Pritchard), Derrick (White), Neemy (Queta), and Luka (Garza) held the fort down defensively. So it just comes down to those things — you’ve got to do them longer than the other team, and those guys did it tonight.”
That’s Boston’s season-long challenge: can the team excel in the areas that make up for its shortcomings? So far, the answer is yes. The Celtics have shown glimpses of last season’s form, even with a roster severely depleted of star power.
The problem that arises is doing that for 48 minutes. That’s the pursuit.
In the meantime, Brown is focused solely on controlling what the team can control. That’s it.
“Just keep building, man,” he said. “Keep building on it one day at a time. It’s still early in the season. I believe in them. I believe in all our guys — stay with the game plan. Continue to empower everyone, even through their mistakes, but make sure we’re comprehending where we can be better and learning, just taking steps forward. 5-6 is not ideal, but we could be 7-4 right now. So we just gotta keep going. Stay the course and don’t let our spirit break, and keep getting better every game.”
