Numerous Boston Celtics players stepped up during their 111-107 road win over the Orlando Magic on Sunday. While Jordan Walsh got much of the credit for his late-game heroics, those wouldn’t have been possible without Anfernee Simons’ historic scoring binge earlier in the game. As usual, Simons came off the bench and checked in midway through the first quarter, replacing Neemias Queta. With the Celtics trailing 21-9, he promptly went to work. Simons came out firing, immediately drilling a 3-pointer on his first shot attempt and sinking another three a few minutes later. Feeling good by that point, Simons went nuclear, scoring 17 straight points for Boston over a three-minute stretch from the end of the first quarter to the beginning of the second. Story continues below advertisement Anfernee Simons scored 17 straight points, leading the Celtics on a 17-2 run.25 points in the first half for the Anferno – the most on record by a Celtics reserveð¥ pic.twitter.com/8sBNufsKUa— Taylor Snow (@taylorcsnow) November 10, 2025 The 26-year-old shooting guard ended the first quarter with a driving layup and free throw, finishing the first quarter with nine points. It was the first of six straight makes for him, including a trio of 3-pointers early in the second quarter. Simons single-handedly turned a 33-27 deficit into a 44-35 lead for the Celtics in the blink of an eye, getting them back in the game with his early spark. He finished the first half with 25 points — the most first-half points by a reserve in team history. Story continues below advertisement While Simons didn’t score during the second half, he still played a pivotal role by drawing more defensive attention and opening up opportunities for his teammates. “I think Anfernee in the first half really got us going. He also made them change their pick-and-roll coverage, which was great,” Joe Mazzulla said during his postgame press conference. “He had 25 in the first half. He constantly gave us a 2 on 1 in the second half.” The 25 points matched a season-high for Simons, who’s flourishing in his first year with Boston. He’ll look to build off Sunday’s performance when the Celtics battle the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday. Story continues below advertisement