The Orlando Magic have struck back, making the series against the Boston Celtics exciting. Franz Wagner led his team to a narrow home victory with a strong performance.
The Orlando Magic won Game 3 of the first-round series against the Boston Celtics 95-93 to cut their deficit in the series to 1-2.
Led by Franz Wagner (32 points, eight assists, seven rebounds) and Paolo Banchero (29 points), the Magic put on an impressively physical performance, putting Boston under considerable pressure.
Jayson Tatum returned for the Celtics after his wrist injury and contributed 36 points, but Boston’s offense remained error-prone, especially in the second half. The Celtics made only nine of 27 three-pointers and recorded 20 turnovers against Orlando’s aggressive defense.
Celtics vs. Magic: Orlando turns the game around
Boston lost its rhythm in the third quarter in particular, scoring just 11 points while Wagner and Banchero led a 14-0 run to give Orlando an 86-74 lead.
The game got exciting again in the closing stages: Derrick White tied the score at 91-91 with two and a half minutes remaining, but Wagner responded promptly with two important baskets to put the Magic back in front.
Boston had one last chance with 0.3 seconds left on the clock, but White’s inbound pass was intercepted, sealing a narrow victory for Orlando.
In addition to the defeat, Boston also had to do without Jrue Holiday, who was sidelined with a thigh injury. Game 4 of the series will take place on Sunday evening, again in Orlando.
