4 takeaways as Boston Celtics crush Magic in Game 5 to win series 4-1

The Celtics used a dominant third quarter to pull away from the Orlando Magic Tuesday night and secure a 4-1 series win with a 120-89 victory in Game 5.

Boston now advances to the Eastern Conference Semifinals, where they will face the winner of the Pistons-Knicks series.

The series-clinching win did not come easy for Boston early in Game 5 despite the final result. Orlando led by as many as nine points in the first half, limiting Boston from beyond the arc (0-of-6) and taking the advantage of a huge edge (9-1) on the offensive glass.

The Magic’s offense struggled yet again against Boston’s stout defense, but they fell apart entirely in the third quarter with Paolo Banchero picking up his fifth foul early in the period. With Banchero forced to the bench, Boston took command, dominating the period with a 36-13 edge to put away a feisty Magic team for good and run away with the win.

Jayson Tatum put a sensational offensive performance in the win, finishing with 35 points, 8 rebounds and 10 assists in just 34 minutes. Jaylen Brown added 23 points while seven different Celtics added nine points or more in the victory. Franz Wagner finished with a team-high 25 points in the setback.

The Celtics will now get a few days to rest in Boston before hosting Game 1 of their second round series on either Saturday or Monday.

Here are four takeaways from the Celtics’ win in Game 5:

Celtics overcome stunning 3-point shooting drought with big second half: The Celtics had a historic season from beyond the arc but the Magic did everything they could to run the hosts off the line with their season at stake. Boston failed to make a 3-point shot in the entire first half, attempting just six overall including none in the final 7:23 of the first half. The Magic have been switching well all series long but they upped their level of physicality in this one early on and Boston failed to make the rim reads to produce their customary looks from downtown. However, Boston turned the tide in the second half, knocking down eight of their first 11 3s to help separate themselves from an Orlando team that had another dismal night from beyond the arc.

Paolo Banchero’s foul trouble changed everything: The Magic looked like they were going to put up a fight to the finish in this one after a strong first half. However, Paolo Banchero picked up three quick fouls in the first three minutes of the third quarter, forcing the star forward to the bench with five fouls. Orlando mustered just 13 points in the frame with Banchero sitting the final nine minutes, opening the door for the Celtics to break open what had been a 56-56 game with a 22-4 run to close out the period and ultimately the series.

Jayson Tatum doing it all offensively: The All-Star forward has been a monster offensively all series long and that trend continued on Tuesday night. The Magic took the 3-point shot away early but he attacked them well on the interior, going 6-of-9 from the field while dishing out a game-high six assists in his 19 minutes without attempting a 3-point shot. Tatum added 13 more points in the third quarter to help Boston break the game open, showing no real signs of being bothered by his wrist injury. The Magic have tested the Celtics offense well all series but Tatum has been up to the challenge time and time again, ensuring a quick end to this series with his most efficient performance of the series. He finished with 35 points or more in three straight games to end the series.

Celtics get some well-deserved rest: One of the biggest reasons for the Celtics run to the title last year was taking care of business quickly in the early rounds. Orlando put up a hell of a fight in this one given their record (41-41) but the Celtics got the job done in five games, the same as last year’s first round. They had to work for it a bit more this time around but rest is now coming especially after the Pistons fought off elimination against the Knicks in Game 5. Boston will get at least three days off rest now before the Eastern Conference Semifinals and potentially up to five days depending on how long the Pistons-Knicks series goes. Either way, Boston will be the fresher squad by a lot whenever the second round kicks off.

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