Celtics’ supporting cast exposes Magic’s fatal flaw in Game 1 originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
BOSTON — The Celtics’ stars weren’t at their best in Game 1 of their first-round series against the Orlando Magic. It didn’t matter.
Boston cruised to a 103-86 victory with a huge boost from its supporting cast. With Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown combining for 32 points (14-36 FG), the reigning NBA champions were led by Derrick White, Jrue Holiday, and Payton Pritchard.
White erupted for a team-high 30 points on 7-of-12 shooting from 3-point range. Holiday was rock-solid on both ends of the court with nine points (3-4 3-PT), five assists, three rebounds, and three steals. Pritchard, an NBA Sixth Man of the Year finalist, tallied a playoff career-high 19 points (4-6 3-PT) off the bench.
The trio combined to shoot 14-for-22 from beyond the arc. The rest of the team was 2-for-15.
The Magic had all the momentum at the half after turning a 12-point deficit into a one-point lead. Their surge was short-lived as the C’s responded with a 15-4 run to start the third quarter.
Holiday’s 3-pointer to put Boston up 10 with 7:30 left in the frame was the turning point. The typically mild-mannered veteran guard’s rare display of emotion fired up his teammates, and the C’s didn’t trail the rest of the way.
“Yeah, I mean, he’s an innate competitor and sometimes he takes a backseat because of the type of guys that we have,” Mazzulla said of Holiday.
“I thought he put the team on his back from that passion and emotion standpoint, and that’s why Jrue Holiday is Jrue Holiday. We’re lucky to have him. We’re gonna need that every single night. But, you know, we do feed off of his physicality and his presence.”
White’s postgame praise of Holiday backed up Mazzulla’s statement.
“It was fun to see,” White said of Holiday’s emotion. “He was just kind of that emotional leader we had there, and it was big-time, especially at that moment. I mean, whether he’s yelling or not yelling, we know what to expect from Jrue. He’s always just that constant for us that’s gonna just kind of do all the little things, make every little play that we need him to do, and like I said, it’s it’s great to have him.”
While Holiday lifted his team emotionally, White carried them offensively. His 30 points marked the third-highest total in his playoff career.
Pritchard raved about “The Stock Exchange” after the win.
“Jrue set the tone to start the second half,” Pritchard told NBC Sports Boston’s Abby Chin. “His ball pressure, hit two 3s, the transition, his energy. He just makes winning plays.
“And then obviously, D-White had a tremendous game today, carried us, got us to a W.”
