Boston Celtics flex champions’ mettle in Game 4 clutch win over Magic

ORLANDO — The Celtics spent the majority of the second half fending off the Magic, but finally, the Magic caught up to the reigning champions. The Kia Center crowd buzzed as Orlando tied the game at 91 with 4:18 left in the game — that’s anyone’s game at that point.

But Jayson Tatum revealed after the Celtics beat the Magic that he was enjoying the moment. Those were the most important minutes of the Celtics’ season. Win and go up 3-1 or lose and face a 2-2 tied series against a young, hungry squad. The Celtics chose the former, sprinting ahead on a 16-7 run to close out the victory. They showed the champions’ mettle as they didn’t let this game slip away like in the Game 3 loss.

“It was 91-91 with four minutes left, a timeout, I was excited for that moment because I knew we was going to figure it out and make plays,” Tatum said. “It’s not just me. Everybody made plays. So we showed just our competitive spirit. That was fun.”

When it came to those final possessions, there was a noticeable change compared to Game 3. Back in that loss, Jaylen Brown sat the majority of crunch-time from 4:07 to the 48-second mark after picking up his fifth foul. This time, that wasn’t going to be the case with Kristaps Porzingis and his foul trouble.

Porzingis, who had his best shooting game of the series, picked up his fifth foul with 8:58 left in the game. After the Magic tied it up at 91, C’s coach Joe Mazzulla subbed the big man back in at that 4:18 mark. That move immediately paid off as Tatum found Porzingis for the and-1 bucket on his first possession back in the game. Porzingis didn’t foul out of the game, providing the Celtics with a crucial lift.

“He was great tonight,” Mazzulla said of Porzingis. “I thought he set the tone for us in our half-court offense with his screening and his rolling, and just his ability to make 2-on-1s better for us. And we managed it the way we managed it. He did a great job when he was in.”

Ultimately, the Celtics also outlasted the Magic simply because their shot- and decision-making were better. On a couple possessions, the Magic got the switch they wanted, like Franz Wagner guarded by Porzingis or the bigger Paolo Banchero getting Derrick White, but their jumpers didn’t fall. On the flip side, Tatum nailed a tough midrange on Banchero and then Tatum got fouled on a 3-pointer by Banchero. The shot-making specifically was much better compared to Game 3’s finish as the Celtics kept the pressure on the Magic.

Those small moments slowly added up as the Magic offense had little answers. After tying the game at 91, the Magic’s next field goal didn’t come for 2:12 of action — by then, the Celtics had built a nine-point lead. There were some chaotic moments that included turnovers, but the Magic didn’t have the offensive firepower to hang with a Celtics team that refused to go down Sunday.

Now, the Celtics hold a comfortable 3-1 series lead. They stressed they need to finish out the Magic in Game 5, set for 8:30 p.m. Tuesday at TD Garden. While it got close Sunday, all that matters is how the Celtics executed and performed their way to a huge victory.

“We had to get more physical,” Brown said. “Just taking care of the boards, taking care of the trenches, taking care of the little plays like that, the physicality, not fouling for unnecessary reasons and just playing basketball. I still think we can be better, but way to close the game out. And that was a fun one.”

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