Game ID: 42400113
Boston Celtics @ Orlando Magic
Friday, April 25, 2025 at 7:00 PM ET
Kia Center, Orlando, FL
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
ORL 31 18 24 22 95BOS 27 32 11 23 93
BOS @ ORL ScoutingBOS @ ORL Scouting
Welcome to the scouting desk. The coffee is cold, the film is play-by-play, and somebody has to explain what happened.
Every game has a hinge — a stretch where it was decided, usually while everyone was watching something else. Start where the evidence lives: the Lineups' face-offs say which five actually won their minutes; the Possessions ledger says who ran ahead of the night's own pace; the Shot Chart says where the points really came from, which is rarely where the highlights were. When all three agree, that is the story. When they don't — that is why this desk has a chair.
ORL availability going into 4/11 · 1 day's restBACK da Silva back 4/09 after 3, 12 min since (56% of 22)
BACK Anthony back 4/01 after 7, 16 min since (92% of 18)
BACK Queen back 4/09 after 4, 6 min since (40% of 14)
BACK Howard back 4/09 after 4, 6 min since (48% of 12)
NEW Joseph 13 to 23 min over the last 5
NEW Houstan 13 to 19 min over the last 5
ORL availability going into 4/13 · 1 day's restBACK da Silva back 4/09 after 3, 23 min since (107% of 22)
BACK Anthony back 4/01 after 7, 17 min since (96% of 18)
BACK Queen back 4/09 after 4, 18 min since (127% of 14)
BACK Howard back 4/09 after 4, 18 min since (152% of 12)
NEW Joseph 13 to 19 min over the last 5
NEW Houstan 13 to 22 min over the last 5
ORL availability going into 4/20 · 6 days' restOUT Banchero missed 2 since 4/11, returns tonight: 42 min (121% of 35)
OUT Wagner missed 2 since 4/11, returns tonight: 36 min (107% of 34)
BACK da Silva back 4/09 after 3, 28 min since (129% of 22)
BACK Queen back 4/09 after 4, 18 min since (127% of 14)
BACK Howard back 4/09 after 4, 23 min since (196% of 12)
NEW Black 24 to 29 min over the last 5
NEW Joseph 13 to 19 min over the last 4
NEW Houstan 13 to 24 min over the last 5
ORL availability going into 4/23 · 2 days' restBACK Banchero back 4/20 after 2, 42 min since (121% of 35)
BACK Wagner back 4/20 after 2, 36 min since (107% of 34)
BACK da Silva back 4/09 after 3, 21 min since (98% of 22)
BACK Queen back 4/09 after 4, 18 min since (127% of 14)
BACK Howard back 4/09 after 4, 23 min since (196% of 12)
NEW Joseph 13 to 19 min over the last 4
NEW Houstan 13 to 24 min over the last 5
ORL availability going into 4/25 · 1 day's restOUT Howard missed 2 since 4/20, out tonight
BACK Banchero back 4/20 after 2, 43 min since (123% of 35)
BACK Wagner back 4/20 after 2, 38 min since (112% of 34)
BACK da Silva back 4/09 after 3, 21 min since (98% of 22)
BACK Queen back 4/09 after 4, 18 min since (127% of 14)
NEW Joseph 13 to 18 min over the last 4
NEW Houstan 13 to 23 min over the last 5
ORL availability going into 4/27 · 1 day's restOUT da Silva missed 2 since 4/23, out tonight
OUT Howard missed 3 since 4/20, out tonight
BACK Banchero back 4/20 after 2, 42 min since (121% of 35)
BACK Wagner back 4/20 after 2, 38 min since (112% of 34)
NEW Joseph 13 to 21 min over the last 4
NEW Houstan 13 to 18 min over the last 5
ORL availability going into 4/29 · 1 day's restOUT da Silva missed 3 since 4/23, returns tonight: 4 min (18% of 22)
OUT Bitadze missed 2 since 4/25, returns tonight: 2 min (12% of 20)
OUT Howard missed 4 since 4/20, returns tonight: 4 min (33% of 12)
BACK Banchero back 4/20 after 2, 42 min since (120% of 35)
BACK Wagner back 4/20 after 2, 39 min since (113% of 34)
NEW Joseph 13 to 26 min over the last 4
BOS availability going into 4/11 · 1 day's restOUT Horford missed 2 since 4/08, returns tonight: 28 min (97% of 28)
BACK Queta back 4/02 after 2, 13 min since (100% of 13)
BACK Norris back 4/09 after 16, 19 min since (165% of 12)
BACK Craig back 4/02 after 2, 21 min since (210% of 10)
NEW Scheierman 12 to 19 min over the last 4
BOS availability going into 4/13 · 1 day's restOUT Brown missed 2 since 4/09, out tonight
BACK Horford back 4/11 after 2, 28 min since (97% of 28)
BACK Norris back 4/09 after 16, 19 min since (165% of 12)
NEW Scheierman 12 to 17 min over the last 4
NEW Craig 10 to 19 min over the last 3
BOS availability going into 4/20 · 6 days' restOUT Brown missed 3 since 4/09, returns tonight: 30 min (88% of 35)
BACK Horford back 4/11 after 2, 28 min since (97% of 28)
BACK Norris back 4/09 after 16, 15 min since (133% of 12)
NEW Kornet 18 to 24 min over the last 5
NEW Scheierman 12 to 26 min over the last 4
NEW Craig 10 to 19 min over the last 4
BOS availability going into 4/23 · 2 days' restBACK Brown back 4/20 after 3, 30 min since (88% of 35)
BACK Horford back 4/11 after 2, 26 min since (93% of 28)
BACK Norris back 4/09 after 16, 15 min since (133% of 12)
NEW Queta 13 to 21 min over the last 3
NEW Scheierman 12 to 27 min over the last 3
NEW Craig 10 to 15 min over the last 4
BOS availability going into 4/25 · 1 day's restOUT Queta missed 2 since 4/20, out tonight
OUT Scheierman missed 2 since 4/20, out tonight
BACK Brown back 4/20 after 3, 36 min since (104% of 35)
BACK Horford back 4/11 after 2, 28 min since (100% of 28)
BACK Norris back 4/09 after 16, 15 min since (133% of 12)
NEW Craig 10 to 15 min over the last 4
BOS availability going into 4/27 · 1 day's restOUT Queta missed 3 since 4/20, out tonight
OUT Scheierman missed 3 since 4/20, out tonight
OUT Craig missed 2 since 4/23, out tonight
BACK Brown back 4/20 after 3, 35 min since (102% of 35)
BACK Horford back 4/11 after 2, 30 min since (106% of 28)
BOS availability going into 4/29 · 1 day's restOUT Holiday missed 2 since 4/25, out tonight
OUT Queta missed 4 since 4/20, returns tonight: 4 min (29% of 13)
OUT Scheierman missed 4 since 4/20, returns tonight: 4 min (33% of 12)
OUT Craig missed 3 since 4/23, returns tonight: 4 min (44% of 10)
BACK Brown back 4/20 after 3, 37 min since (106% of 35)
BOS availability going into 5/05 · 5 days' restOUT Holiday missed 3 since 4/25, returns tonight: 39 min (126% of 31)
BACK Brown back 4/20 after 3, 36 min since (103% of 35)
BACK Queta back 4/29 after 4, 4 min since (29% of 13)
BACK Scheierman back 4/29 after 4, 4 min since (33% of 12)
BACK Craig back 4/29 after 3, 4 min since (44% of 10)
BOS availability going into 5/07 · 1 day's restBACK Holiday back 5/05 after 3, 39 min since (126% of 31)
BACK Queta back 4/29 after 4, 4 min since (29% of 13)
BACK Scheierman back 4/29 after 4, 4 min since (33% of 12)
BACK Craig back 4/29 after 3, 4 min since (44% of 10)
NEW Horford 28 to 34 min over the last 5
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Orlando comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 103 a night and allowing 104, shooting 47 percent and 36 from three, 16 free throws a game; Banchero at 28 and Wagner at 24 a game. That is 3 straight losses. One day's rest. Boston comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 102 a night and allowing 92, shooting 44 percent and 34 from three, 16 free throws a game; White at 22 and Pritchard at 21 a game. That is 4 straight wins. One day's rest.
So: Boston wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, Boston allowing 92 a night to Orlando's 104 and the glass, where Boston has been plus-2 a night and Orlando minus-3. Call it Boston 106, Orlando 103, Orlando keeping it close.
4/11 @ IND 129-115 — ORL notes
ORL won 129-115. ORL shot 58% (49 of 85) to IND's 45%, 13 of 32 from three, and got to the line 21 times to IND's 35. Queen led with 25 (9 of 11, 5 of 6 from three); Black added 21, Howard 17. The hinge was Q2, 43-20: from level to 23 ahead, and the lead reached 35. Bitadze was the night's best plus/minus at +37.
4/13 @ ATL 105-117 — ORL notes
ORL lost 105-117. ORL shot 45% (40 of 88) to ATL's 53%, 15 of 35 from three. Black led with 20 (7 of 16, 3 of 5 from three); Howard added 16, da Silva 14. Q3 was theirs, 38-34, the deficit cut from 12 to 8, but the other 3 periods went 83-67 against them. da Silva's -27 in 37 minutes was the worst on the floor.
4/20 @ BOS 86-103 — ORL notes
ORL lost 86-103. ORL shot 42% (34 of 81) to BOS's 45%, 10 of 27 from three, and got to the line 11 times to BOS's 18. ORL turned it over 15 times to BOS's 9, and BOS turned those into 13 steals. Banchero led with 36 (14 of 27, 4 of 7 from three, 4 of 6 at the line); Wagner added 23. Q2 was theirs, 31-22, turning a 8-point deficit into a 1-point lead, but the other 3 periods went 81-55 against them. Wagner's -15 in 36 minutes was the worst on the floor.
4/23 @ BOS 100-109 — ORL notes
ORL lost 100-109. ORL shot 48% (39 of 82) to BOS's 45%, 7 of 29 from three, and got to the line 24 times to BOS's 33. The glass went 34-46 against them. Banchero led with 32 (12 of 25, 2 of 6 from three, 6 of 11 at the line); Wagner added 25, Carter Jr. 16. Q4 was theirs, 29-28, the deficit cut from 10 to 9, but the other 3 periods went 81-71 against them. Carter Jr.'s -8 in 33 minutes was the worst on the floor.
4/25 vs BOS 95-93 — ORL notes
ORL won 95-93. ORL shot 41% (34 of 83) to BOS's 45%, 8 of 32 from three. ORL turned it over 13 times to BOS's 19. Wagner led with 32 (11 of 27, 3 of 13 from three, 7 of 12 at the line); Banchero added 29, Carter Jr. 10. The hinge was Q3, 24-11: ORL came in trailing by 10 and left it ahead by 3. ORL trailed 49-59 at the half and won the second half 46-34. Black was the night's best plus/minus at +16.
4/27 vs BOS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Orlando comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 103 a night and allowing 107, shooting 47 percent and 34 from three, 19 free throws a game; Banchero at 32 and Wagner at 27 a game. It has lost the glass by 4 a night. Without da Silva (2 straight). One day's rest. Boston comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 106 a night and allowing 92, shooting 45 percent and 38 from three, 20 free throws a game; Brown at 24 and Tatum at 23 a game. One day's rest.
So: Boston wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, Boston allowing 92 a night to Orlando's 107 and the glass, where Boston has been plus-2 a night and Orlando minus-4. Call it Boston 107, Orlando 103, Orlando keeping it close.
4/29 @ BOS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Boston comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 101 a night and allowing 93, shooting 43 percent and 34 from three, 24 free throws a game; Tatum at 30 and Brown at 23 a game. Without Holiday (2 straight). One day's rest. Orlando comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 97 a night and allowing 106, shooting 44 percent and 31 from three, 19 free throws a game; Banchero at 32 and Wagner at 26 a game. Without da Silva (3 straight), Bitadze (2 straight). One day's rest.
So: Boston wins, and the game turns on the defense, Boston allowing 93 a night to Orlando's 106 and the glass, where Boston has been plus-3 a night and Orlando minus-4. Call it Boston 108, Orlando 99.
4/11 vs CHA 130-94 — BOS notes
BOS won 130-94. BOS shot 52% (49 of 95) to CHA's 39%, 23 of 51 from three. BOS turned it over 10 times to CHA's 17. Pritchard led with 22 (9 of 11, 4 of 5 from three); Hauser added 20, White 19. The hinge was Q4, 39-19: a lead of 16 became 36. Tatum was the night's best plus/minus at +23.
4/13 vs CHA 93-86 — BOS notes
BOS won 93-86. BOS shot 39% (35 of 90) to CHA's 38%, 14 of 45 from three. Pritchard led with 34 (14 of 25, 4 of 12 from three); Hauser added 15, Kornet 11. The hinge was Q1, 33-15: from level to 18 ahead, and the lead reached 21. Queta was the night's best plus/minus at +11.
4/20 vs ORL 103-86 — BOS notes
BOS won 103-86. BOS shot 45% (37 of 82) to ORL's 42%, 16 of 37 from three, and went to the line 18 times to ORL's 11 — 13 points from the stripe to their 8. BOS turned it over 9 times to ORL's 15. White led with 30 (10 of 18, 7 of 12 from three); Pritchard added 19, Tatum 17. The hinge was Q3, 30-18: BOS came in trailing by 1 and left it ahead by 11, and the lead reached 19. BOS trailed 48-49 at the half and won the second half 55-37. Tatum was the night's best plus/minus at +23.
4/23 vs ORL 109-100 — BOS notes
BOS won 109-100. BOS shot 45% (36 of 80) to ORL's 48%, 12 of 37 from three, and went to the line 33 times to ORL's 24 — 25 points from the stripe to their 15. The glass went 46-34 for them. Brown led with 36 (12 of 19, 5 of 7 from three, 7 of 8 at the line); Porziņģis added 20, White 17. The hinge was Q3, 31-24: a lead of 3 became 10, and the lead reached 15. Porziņģis was the night's best plus/minus at +15.
4/25 @ ORL 93-95 — BOS notes
BOS lost 93-95. BOS shot 45% (33 of 74) to ORL's 41%, 9 of 27 from three. BOS turned it over 19 times to ORL's 13, and ORL turned those into 9 steals. Tatum led with 36 (10 of 22, 4 of 10 from three, 12 of 12 at the line); Brown added 19, White 16. Q2 was theirs, 32-18, turning a 4-point deficit into a 10-point lead, but the other 3 periods went 77-61 against them. They led by as many as 11. Porziņģis's -16 in 34 minutes was the worst on the floor.
4/27 @ ORL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Orlando comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 103 a night and allowing 107, shooting 47 percent and 34 from three, 19 free throws a game; Banchero at 32 and Wagner at 27 a game. It has lost the glass by 4 a night. Without da Silva (2 straight). One day's rest. Boston comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 106 a night and allowing 92, shooting 45 percent and 38 from three, 20 free throws a game; Brown at 24 and Tatum at 23 a game. One day's rest.
So: Boston wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, Boston allowing 92 a night to Orlando's 107 and the glass, where Boston has been plus-2 a night and Orlando minus-4. Call it Boston 107, Orlando 103, Orlando keeping it close.
4/29 vs ORL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Boston comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 101 a night and allowing 93, shooting 43 percent and 34 from three, 24 free throws a game; Tatum at 30 and Brown at 23 a game. Without Holiday (2 straight). One day's rest. Orlando comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 97 a night and allowing 106, shooting 44 percent and 31 from three, 19 free throws a game; Banchero at 32 and Wagner at 26 a game. Without da Silva (3 straight), Bitadze (2 straight). One day's rest.
So: Boston wins, and the game turns on the defense, Boston allowing 93 a night to Orlando's 106 and the glass, where Boston has been plus-3 a night and Orlando minus-4. Call it Boston 108, Orlando 99.
5/05 vs NYK — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Boston comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 106 a night and allowing 94, shooting 47 percent and 38 from three, 26 free throws a game; Tatum at 31 and Brown at 23 a game. Without Holiday (3 straight). 5 days' rest. New York comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 105 a night and allowing 106, shooting 43 percent and 36 from three, 25 free throws a game; Brunson at 31 and Towns at 19 a game. It has lost the glass by 4 a night. Without Achiuwa (6 straight), Tucker (6 straight). 3 days' rest.
So: Boston wins, and the game turns on the defense, Boston allowing 94 a night to New York's 106 and the glass, where Boston has been plus-2 a night and New York minus-4. Call it Boston 111, New York 104.
5/07 vs NYK — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Boston comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 107 a night and allowing 98, shooting 44 percent and 32 from three, 27 free throws a game; Tatum at 33 and Brown at 24 a game. It has won the glass by 4 a night. One day's rest. New York comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 108 a night and allowing 107, shooting 43 percent and 40 from three, 27 free throws a game; Brunson at 29 and Anunoby at 20 a game. Without Tucker (7 straight). One day's rest.
So: Boston wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Boston has been plus-4 a night and New York minus-4 and the arc, New York at 40 percent from three to Boston's 32. Call it Boston 111, New York 106.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
BOSAH A. Horford
DW D. White
JB J. Brown
JT J. Tatum
KP K. Porziņģis
LK L. Kornet
PP P. Pritchard
PO Porzingis
SH S. Hauser
ORLAB A. Black
CA C. Anthony
CH C. Houstan
CJ C. Joseph
FW F. Wagner
GH G. Harris
JI J. Isaac
KC K. Caldwell-Pope
PB P. Banchero
WC W. Carter Jr.
BOS/ORL the team itself, not a player
-- the feed named nobody
What
What happened
the codes in the Events column
M2 / M3 made 2 / made 3
X2 / X3 missed 2 / missed 3
FT / X1 free throw made / missed
AST assist
OR / DR offensive / defensive rebound
STL steal
BLK block
TO turnover
FL foul
OF offensive foul — ends the possession
VIOL violation
JUMP jump ball
TM timeout
IR instant replay
HE heave at the buzzer, filed to the team
END the clock ran out, ball in hand
Where
Where a shot came from
the middle field of M3.LW.25
RM at the rim inside 4 ft
RC right corner
RW right wing
SO straight on
LW left wing
LC left corner
M3.LW.25 made 3, left wing, 25 ft
X2.RM.01 missed 2, at the rim, 1 ft
When
When it happened
the Offset column
one number per event, in the Events order:
whole seconds from the start of the
possession to that event
Events FL X3.RC.23 OR M2.RM.01
Offset 0 18 22 24
the foul opens the possession at 0s;
the putback ends it at 24s, which is
the possession's own Dur
Wagner and Banchero help Magic beat Celtics 95-93 to cut Boston's lead to 2-1
ORLANDO, Fla. -- — Franz Wagner scored 32 points, Paolo Banchero added 29 and the Orlando Magic beat Boston 95-93 on Friday night to cut the Celtics' lead to 2-1 in the Eastern Conference first-round series.
Jayson Tatum had 36 points and nine rebounds for the Celtics in his return to the starting lineup after missing Game 2 with a bruised wrist.
The defending NBA champions were 33-8 on the road this season but are now 0-3 in Orlando in 2024-25. The Magic host Game 4 on Sunday.
Boston rallied after scoring just 11 points in the third quarter to tie it 91 on Derrick White 's layup with 2:31 to play. Wagner answered with a layup, and after a miss by Tatum, followed with another basket for a 95-91 lead with 1:26 to play.
White scored, and after Wagner missed a 3-pointer, the Celtics got the ball and inbounded with 0.3 seconds left but White's pass toward the basket was tapped away as time expired.
Jaylen Brown had 19 points for the Celtics, who went 17 minutes without a 3-point basket in the second half.
The Celtics played without Jrue Holiday , who has a strained right hamstring.
Tatum, who was listed as doubtful late Friday afternoon, scored 21 points in the first half, leading the Celtics to a 10-point lead.
Tatum's 3-pointer early in the second half stretched their lead to 11, but the Celtics missed 17 of their next 19 shots and did not hit another 3-point shot until Al Horford connected with 6:20 left in the fourth quarter.
Wagner and Banchero combined for nine points on a 14-0 run that pulled the Magic ahead and they led 86-74 after the third quarter.