Franz Wagner scored 32 points and Paolo Banchero added 29 to lead the Orlando Magic to a narrow 95-93 victory over the Boston Celtics to cut the deficit in the series to 2-1 in the first round of the Eastern Conference.
Jayson Tatum, who was doubtful with a wrist injury, scored 36 points and grabbed nine rebounds for the Celtics in his return to the starting lineup after missing the second game. His presence was crucial as he scored 21 points in the first half, giving his team a 10-point lead at halftime.
However, the defeat was deeply painful for the Celtics as they had a 33-8 road record this season, but are 0-3 in Orlando in the 2024-25 season and are at least missing game four of the series in Florida next Sunday.
Boston tightened the game in the final minutes after scoring just 11 points in the third quarter. Despite their ineffectiveness, they tied the score at 91 with a layup by Derrick White with 2:31 to play, but Wagner responded with a layup and, after a Tatum miss, scored again to extend the lead to 95-91 with 1:26 left.
White scored, and after Wagner missed a three-pointer, the Celtics took the ball with 0.3 seconds to play, but White‘s pass hit the basket and was then batted by the defense to extinguish the clock
Jaylen Brown scored 19 points for the Celtics, but the champions went 17 minutes without a three-pointer in the second half. In addition, the Celtics played without Jrue Holiday, due to a strained right hamstring
After opening the second half with a Tatum three-pointer, the Celtics missed 17 of their next 19 shots and did not score from behind the arc again until Al Horford did so with 6:20 remaining in the final quarter.
During that span, Wagner and Banchero combined for nine points in a 14-0 run that put the Magic ahead and led 86-74 after the third quarter.
Bucks beat Pacers with Gary Trent’s three-point record
Gary Trent Jr. tied a franchise playoff record with nine three-pointers and a total of 37 points, the same as Giannis Antetokounmpo, as the Milwaukee Bucks staged a great second half to beat the Indiana Pacers 117-101 and go 2-1 up in the series, after losing the first two games on tour
The Pacers led 57-47 at halftime, but Trent hit three three-pointers early in the third quarter to tie the score at 62-62. They then took a 72-69 lead on a Giannis three-pointer and led 86-75 at the end of the quarter.
The lead grew to 20 in the fourth quarter and Trent finished 9-of-12 from behind the arc to tie Hall of Famer Ray Allen‘s mark for most three-pointers in a postseason game.
Antetokounmpo grabbed 12 rebounds for Milwaukee. AJ Green scored 12 points and Bobby Portis 10 for the Bucks, who faced the Pacers for the 18th time in the last two seasons.
Indiana had won five of the last six playoff meetings between the two and knocked the Bucks out of the playoffs in the first round last season. Pascal Siakam scored 28 points and Aaron Nesmith 18 for the Pacers. Tyrese Haliburton finished with 14 points and 10 assists.
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