Franz Wager scored 23 points and Cole Anthony finished with 18 as the Orlando Magic extended their winning streak to four games by earning a 96-76 home victory against the undermanned Boston Celtics on Wednesday night.
Wagner has scored at least 20 points in each of his last 12 games. Anthony and Wagner each collected eight rebounds in the win. Paolo Banchero added 15 points for the Magic (40-40).
The victory allowed Orlando to clinch the No. 7 seed for the play-in tournament. Orlando will be at home against the No. 8 seed Tuesday night. The winner of that matchup will open the Eastern Conference playoffs against Boston, which is locked into the No. 2 seed.
The Celtics (59-21) used a makeshift lineup and rested starters Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis and Derrick White. Al Horford didn’t suit up either since the Celtics were playing their second game in as many nights.
Baylor Scheierman and Payton Pritchard each tossed in a team-high 15 points for the Celtics, who were held to their lowest point total of the season. Boston was 7-of-40 from 3-point territory and turned the ball over 16 times (nine in the opening quarter).
The loss ended Boston’s three-game winning streak as well as its nine-game winning streak on the road.
If Boston had beaten Orlando, it would have tied the NBA record for most road wins in a season. The 2015-16 Golden State Warriors went 34-7 away from home.
Orlando led 27-21 after one quarter and 49-41 at halftime. Boston trailed by 19 at one point, but scored the final 11 points in the first half.
A 17-2 run extended Orlando’s lead to 74-50 with 2:59 remaining in the third quarter. The Celtics trailed 80-61 with 12 minutes to play.
The Celtics and Magic split the two other games between the teams this season. Each team won on its home court.
–Field Level Media
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