Tatum lifts Celtics to 3-1 series lead over Magic

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Jayson Tatum had 37 points and 14 rebounds, Jaylen Brown added 21 points and 11 rebounds and the Boston Celtics took a 3-1 lead in their NBA playoff series with a 107-98 win over the Orlando Magic on Sunday night.

Kristaps Porzingis scored 19 points, including a dunk of his own missed layup that put Boston ahead for keeps with 3:58 left.

Paolo Banchero led Orlando with 31 points.

Game 5 of the best-of-7 first-round series will be played Tuesday night in Boston.

“This was a big win on the road in a tough, physical environment against a team that’s been eager to take us out,” Brown said. “It’s not over. We’ve got to close it out because we don’t want to come back here.”

Derrick White finished with 18 points, seven rebounds and seven assists for the Celtics. Al Horford blocked five shots.

Franz Wagner had 24 points and seven assists for Orlando. Corey Joseph added 12 points, the highest scoring output for a Magic guard in the series.

The 7-foot-3 Porzingis, who played only 22 minutes due to foul trouble, helped Boston overcome shooting 9 for 31 from 3-point range with dominant inside play in the first half.

“I think he set the tone for us in the half-court game,” Boston coach Joe Mazzulla said. “I thought he got us off to a great start offensively with his screening and his ability to get to the rim.”

The Magic shot 8 for 29 from behind the arc.

A dunk by Porzingis started an 18-3 run midway through the first half. A 3-pointer by Porzingis gave the Celtics a nine-point lead, matching the largest lead of the game, with 7:45 left in the second quarter.

The Magic never led after that, although a dunk by Wendell Carter Jr. tied the game at 91 with 4:18 remaining. The Celtics took over from there, winning for the first time in Orlando since October 2022. Tatum hit a 10-footer, three straight free throws and a layup to quickly restore a seven-point Boston lead.

“Their experience showed,” said Banchero, who shot 12 for 32 but scored 30-plus points for the sixth time in his 11 postseason games. “They weren’t rattled at all. They were making big plays on both ends. They were really sharp over the last four minutes.”

Boston guard Jrue Holiday sat out a second straight game with a strained right hamstring.

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