Orlando Magic Struggles Mightily in Loss vs. Boston Celtics
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ORLANDO - The Orlando Magic is heading back to the drawing board after a 128-111 loss to the Boston Celtics on Friday night at TD Garden.
The Magic came into the game with the upper hand having had three days of rest, while the Celtics were playing the second half of a back-to-back. However, the Celtics had the ultimate edge playing in front of their home fans. At 13-0, the Celtics are the only team to never have lost at home this season.
Dec 15, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Orlando Magic center Goga Bitadze (35) shoots against the Boston Celtics during the first half at TD Garden.
Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports
Orlando started off hot, but Boston was able to cool the Magic down by forcing 21 turnovers. The Celtics were also strong from behind the 3-point line, making 18 of 42 attempts. Boston's 128 points is the second-highest total that Orlando has surrendered this season.
Jayson Tatum led all scorers with 30 points on an efficient 11 of 22 from the field. Payton Pritchard also added 21 points off the bench, including 6 of 7 from downtown.
For the Magic, Jalen Suggs, who injured his hand and wrist in the first half but returned, scored a team-high 19 points. Suggs was one of six Magic players to finish in double figures. Goga Bitadze had a double-double with 15 points and a team-high 11 rebounds.
This is one of Orlando's worst losses of the season, but it came against a really strong Boston team. Luckily for the Magic, the team will have another shot at revenge in Sunday's contest at TD Garden. Tipoff is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. ET.
