at   
Orlando Magic (10-7)  at Boston Celtics (8-8)   
Sunday, November 23, 2025
6:00 PM ET
Regular Season Game #17  Home Game #9
TV:  NBCSB, FDSNFL, NBA-LP
Radio: 98.5 Sports Hub , WYGM 96.9, Sirius XM
TD Garden


Probable Starters
Probable Celtics Starters
PG SG SFPF C
PG:  Derrick White
SG:  Payton Pritchard
SF:  Jaylen Brown
PF:  Jordan Walsh
C:   Neemias Queta 

Celtics Reserves
Anfernee Simons
Hugo Gonzalez
Josh Minott
Sam Hauser
Luka Garza
Baylon Scheierman
Chris Boucher
Xavier Tillman

2-Way Players
Ron Harper, Jr
Max Shulga
Amari Williams

Injuries/Out
Jayson Tatum (Achilles) out

Head Coach
Joe Mazzulla 

Probable Magic Starters
PGSGSFPFC
PG:  Jalen Suggs 
SG:  Desmond Bane
SF:   Tristan da Silva 
PF:   Franz Wagner
C:    Wendell Carter, Jr

Magic Reserves
Goga Bitadze
Anthony Black
Jett Howard
Jonathan Isaac
Tyus Jones
Noah Penda 
Jase Richardon

2-Way Players
Jamal Cain
Colin Castleton
Orlando Robinson

Injuries/Out
Moritz Wagner (knee)  out
Paolo Banchero (groin) out
Colin Castleton (hand) game time decision

Head Coach
Jamahl Mosley

Game Notes
The Celtics host the Orlando Magic for the third of 4 meetings between these teams this season.   They played twice in a row in Orlando with the Magic winning the first game 123-110 and the Celtics winning the second game 111-107.  They will play again in Boston on April 12 for their final meeting. This is the second of back to back games for the Magic.  They are 2-1 when playing on the second night of back to back games.

The Celtics won the series 2-1 last season.  The Celtics won 1 game in Boston and 1 game in Orlando and the Magic won one game in Orlando.  The Celtics are 77-58 overall all time against the Magic.  They are 50-18 all time in games played in Boston.  The Celtics are 12-10 against the Magic in the playoffs, including a 4-1 win in the first round of last year's playoffs. 
 
The Celtics are 11th in the East, tied with 10th place Milwaukee.   They are 1.5 games behind 6th place Philadelphia and 2 games behind 4th place New York.  They are 4 games ahead of 12th place Charlotte.   They are 5-6 against Eastern Conference opponents. They are 5-5 in their last 10 games and are coming off a loss. 

The Magic are 7th in the East, tied with 3rd place Cleveland, 4th place Miami, 5th place New York and 6th place Philadelphia.  They are half a game ahead of 8th place Atlanta and 1.5 games ahead of 11th place Boston.  They are 7-6 against Eastern Conference teams and they are 3-4 on the road.  They are 7-3 in their last 10 games and have won their last 3 games.

After this game at home against Orlando, the Celtics will play Detroit, also at home. They then head out on the road to play at Minnesota and at Cleveland before one game at home vs New York. Then, they play at Washington, at home against the Lakers and at Toronto before a break for the NBA Cup games. After the break, they host Miami, play at Toronto, host Indiana and then head out on a 5 game road trip through Indiana, Portland, Utah, Sacramento and the LA Clippers.

This is the first game of a 3 game road trip for Orlando.  After this, they will play at Philadelphia and at Detroit.  Then home against Chicago, San Antonio, and Miami.  Then they play at New York before the December 9-16 NBA Cup break.  After the break, they will have a 4 game road trip through Denver, Utah, Golden State and Toronto. 

Jayson Tatum remains out for this game as he rehabs from the torn Achilles that he suffered in last year's playoffs.   For the Magic, Moritz Wagner has yet to debut this season and is expected to miss this game as he rehabs from a torn Achilles.  Paolo Banchero is expected to miss this game with a groin injury.  Colin Castleton is a game time decision with a hand injury. 

Key Matchups
vs
Jordan Walsh vs Franz Wagner
Wagner is leading the Magic with 22.6 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.1 steals per game.  He is shooting 45.4% from the field and 37.7% from beyond the arc. He is coming off a game over the Knicks where he finished with 37 points, 6 rebounds, and 7 assists while shooting 68.4% from the field and 66.7% from beyond the arc.   The Celtics need to defend him very well as he is a threat to have a big game every time out.

vs
Payton Pritchard vs Desmond Bane
Bane is averaging 16.8 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game.  He is shooting 42.9% from the field and 32.9% from beyond the arc. He is coming off a game against the Knicks where he finished with 27 points, 3 rebounds, 7 assists, and 1 steal while shooting 50% from the field and 42.9% from beyond the arc.  He is playing very well since getting used to the Magic's system and so the Celtics need to stay with him on defense to prevent another big game. 

Honorable Mention
Derrick White vs Jalen Suggs
Suggs is averaging 13.4 points, 3.9 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 1.7 steals per game. He is shooting 51.9% from the field and 37.7% from beyond the arc.  He is coming off a game against the Knicks where he finished with 26 points, 3 rebounds and 1 assist while shooting 53.3% from the field and 33.3% from beyond the arc. 

Keys to the Game
Defense - Defense is always the key to winning games.  The Celtics are now 14th in the league with a defensive rating of 112.8.  The Magic are 6th with a defensive rating of 111.7  The Celtics allowed the Nets to shoot 52.4% from the field and 39.4% from beyond the arc.  The Celtics are going to work harder on defense and lock down the Magic's shooters. 

Rebound -  Rebounding is also a big key to winning  The Magic are 11th with 45.3 rebounds per game while the Celtics are 15th with 44.9 rebounds per game.   They simply have to fight harder to grab rebounds than the Magic.  Every Celtic has got to crash the boards and fight for every rebound.   The Celtics can't score without the ball and a good way to get the ball is to fight for every rebound. 

Effort and Energy for 48 Minutesc- The Celtics have to play with extra effort overall for all 4 quarters. In most of their losses, including their loss to the Nets,  they allowed their opponents to play with more energy than them.  They played well for stretches but not enough to get the win.  The Celtics need to make playing with more effort and energy their identity this season and play that way for the entire game, not just a quarter or two.  Jaylen Brown blasted the Celtics for their lack of effort and energy against the Nets.  Hopefully they take it to heart and play better in this game. 

Offensive Execution - It seems like at least 1 or 2 Celtics struggle on offense every game, especially on the perimeter.  They need to work on their spacing and focus on their shooting.  If they struggle early in the game, they need to score in the midrange or in the paint and not continue to brick 3's the entire game.

Move the Ball Carefully - The Celtics play best when they share the ball and keep it moving.  They can't try to do too much individually or the offense gets bogged down.  They need to move the ball to find the best shots instead of taking quick shots or over dribbling. They have to move the ball carefully, however,  and not turn the ball over.  In their last 2 games, the Celtics have been sloppy with the ball and turned it over too much The Magic are score  17.9 points off turnovers per game. If the Celtics get sloppy again, the Magic will make them pay. 

X-Factors
Celtics Pride at Home - The Celtics will have the home crowd behind them and that should give them a boost.  The Magic will have all the distractions of playing on the road such as travel, hotel stay, and playing on an unfamiliar court in front of a hostile crowd.   The Celtics need to be ready for a team that plays very hard for 48 minutes and that defends very well.  The Celtics need to match the Magic's effort especially on the defensive end.   The Celtics have to show pride and play harder than the Magic to protect their home court and get a win against this motivated Magic team. 

Officiating - The officiating is always an x-factor. Some referees call the game tight and others let them play. Some favor the home team and others call it evenly. Some refs just seem to have an agenda that doesn't fit the events on the court. At times they miss important calls that change the momentum of the game as in the call on Jaylen Brown against the Jazz and the call that gave him the 5th foul against the Nets. The Celtics need to play well enough not to leave the game in the hands of the officials at the end and they can't let bad calls take away from their focus.