Josh Minott came off the Celtics bench and provided huge minutes, posting 16 points and seven rebounds in 20 minutes of action, including this dunk in the Celtics' 48-point second quarter Sunday at the Garden.
Josh Minott came off the Celtics bench and provided huge minutes, posting 16 points and seven rebounds in 20 minutes of action, including this dunk in the Celtics' 48-point second quarter Sunday at the Garden.Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff
The Magic entered Sunday’s game against the Celtics at TD Garden missing three starters and playing the second game in as many days. But these Celtics are unlikely to ever have a reason to feel sorry for an opponent.
And for most of the night, it appeared they would capitalize on their opportunity with a resounding win. But after trailing by as many as 26 points, and 20 with 8 minutes left, the Magic pulled within 6 and had a chance to get even closer before Boston eventually escaped, 138-129.
Jaylen Brown had 35 points for the Celtics, who took control with a massive 48-point second quarter. Anfernee Simons added 23 points off the bench. Center Neemias Queta left the game due to a sprained ankle in the second quarter and did not return.
Boston shot 60.2 percent from the field, made 15 of 33 3-pointers (45.5 percent), and committed just five turnovers.
Jett Howard erupted for 22 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter to give Orlando a chance, but it was not quite enough. The Magic were without starters Paolo Banchero, Wendell Carter Jr., and Jalen Suggs.
Boston appeared to have a comfortable 121-101 lead with eight minutes left, but this team does not always handle prosperity well. The Magic needed just a minute to uncork a 9-0 burst that included a 3-pointer and 3-point play by Jace Richardson that made it 121-110 with 6:24 left.
A 3-point play by Jett Howard pulled the Magic within 129-121. Brown, who had 13 points in the fourth, answered with a layup and a pull-up jumper, before Howard sliced the deficit to 133-127 with a 3-point play and a pair of free throws with 1:11 remaining.
Howard had a chance to make it a one-possession game, but his 3-pointer with 33 seconds left was off, and the Celtics survived.
Boston started the game by setting the tone closer to the rim, with its first seven shots coming inside the arc. The Celtics made five, a harbinger for the rest of the half.
Queta, who has anchored the Celtics defense this season and been part of most of their best lineups, turned his left ankle while committing a foul midway through the first quarter. He limped to the bench before eventually continuing on to the locker room, and he was not seen again during the opening half.
With Queta out, coach Joe Mazzulla did not lean on backup big men Luka Garza or Xavier Tillman. First, he turned to seldom-used power forward Chris Boucher. Then for most of the second-quarter deluge, he played with no true big man at all.
First, the Celtics seized early control with a 9-0 burst that included two 3-pointers by Sam Hauser and one by Simons, giving them a 22-15 lead.
Brown, whose frustrations with the officials have been simmering all season, collected his second foul for grabbing Franz Wagner before he received a long outlet pass with 2:13 left. Brown voiced his displeasure with the call and received a technical foul. Boston challenged the foul call and lost.
Still, that blip did nothing to derail the Celtics in the first half.
Josh Minott checked in to play center with 8:29 left in the second quarter and the Celtics leading, 40-34.
They were deploying their own undersized group at the time, and the teams spent several minutes lowering their heads and plowing to the rim, aware that no deterrents were lurking there.
But Orlando missed a few layup attempts, and Boston’s counter-attacks were sudden. Minott poured in 10 points during one loud 90-second stretch that included two dunks and two 3-pointers.
Then host’s defense closed the quarter authoritatively. Back-to-back steals led to a Peyton Pritchard layup and a 3-pointer, and Pritchard’s steal and layup with 54 seconds left gave Boston a 76-55 lead.
During their blistering 48-point second quarter, the Celtics shot 18 for 23 from the field and 5 of 7 from the 3-point line while committing just one turnover. Boston’s bench was 13 for 15 from the field in the first half, led by 16 points from Simons.
Minott started the third quarter at center, too, and he continued to have an impact. He spun through the lane for a basket, contested a dunk attempt, and then converted a basket at the other end to stretch the lead to 93-68.
Adam Himmelsbach can be reached at adam.himmelsbach@globe.com. Follow him @adamhimmelsbach.