Baylor Scheierman tossed in a career-high 30 points to lead the Boston Celtics to a 113-108 victory over the visiting Orlando Magic on Sunday in the final regular-season game for each team.
The Celtics (56-26), who had already secured the No. 2 seed for the Eastern Conference playoffs, rested eight players, including their top seven scorers. Boston’s first playoff opponent will be the team that earns the No. 7 seed in the play-in tournament, either the Magic or the Philadelphia 76ers.
The loss ended Orlando’s five-game winning streak. The Magic (45-37) had won three in a row on the road. They will be in the eighth seed in the play-in tournament and visit the seventh-seeded 76ers on Wednesday. The winner faces the Celtics, and the loser will host the winner of the 9/10 matchup on Friday.
Boston’s starting lineup was Ron Harper Jr., Max Shulga, Jordan Wash, Luka Garza and Scheierman.
Garza made a 3-pointer to give Boston a 111-108 lead with 31 seconds to play. After Orlando’s Jalen Suggs missed a 3-pointer with 19 seconds left, Walsh finalized the scoring by making two free throws.
The Celtics received 27 points apiece from both Garza and Harper.
Paolo Banchero and Suggs each scored a team-high 23 for Orlando.
Boston trailed by nine at halftime but outscored Orlando 42-20 in the third quarter.
The Magic needed a win plus a Toronto victory over Brooklyn to finish sixth in the Eastern Conference and avoid the play-in tournament.
The game was tied until Orlando went on an 11-0 run to take a 29-18 lead late in the first quarter. The Magic had a 29-20 advantage entering the second.
The Celtics were within four early in the second but trailed 61-52 at halftime even though they made each of their 17 free-throw attempts in the first half.
Boston tied the game, 73-73, on a Scheierman 3-pointer, and led 75-73 following a Harper dunk with 4:41 left in the third. The Celtics extended their lead to 94-79 on a John Tonje basket with 30 seconds remaining in the third, and had a 94-81 lead when the quarter ended.
–Field Level Media
