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Boston Celtics (4-6) at Orlando Magic (4-5)
Sunday, November 9, 2025
6:00 PM ET
Regular Season Game #11 Road Game #6
TV: NBCSB, FDSNFL, NBA-LP
Radio: Sirius XM, 98.5 Sports Hub, WYGM 96.9
Kia Center
Probable Starters Probable Celtics Starters PG
SG
SF
PF
C
PG: Derrick White
SG: Payton Pritchard
SF: Jaylen Brown
PF: Josh Minott
C: Neemias Queta
Celtics ReservesAnfernee Simons
Hugo Gonzalez
Jordan Walsh
Sam Hauser
Luka Garza
Baylon Scheierman
Chris Boucher
2-Way PlayersRon Harper, Jr
Max Shulga
Amari Williams
Injuries/OutJayson Tatum (Achilles) out
Xavier Tillman (personal reasons) questionable
Head CoachJoe Mazzulla
Probable Magic Starters PG
SG
SF
PF
C
PG: Jalen Suggs
SG: Desmond Bane
SF: Franz Wagner
PF: Paolo Banchero
C: Wendell Carter, Jr
Magic Reserves Goga Bitadze
Anthony Black
Tristan da Silva
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
Head Coach Jamahl Mosley
Game Notes The Celtics visit the Orlando Magic for the second straight game, having lost to them 123-110 on Friday in an NBA Cup game. This is the 2nd of 4 meetings between these teams this season. They will meet in Boston on November 23 and on April 12 for their final meeting. This is the start of 3 games in 4 nights for the Celtics that will end in the Celtics 3rd back to back set on Tuesday and Wednesday.
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 76-58 overall all time against the Magic. They are 26-40 all time in games played in Orlando. 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 Magic have made a few changes since last season. Their biggest move was to trade Cole Anthony and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and 4 first round picks to Memphis in exchange for Desmond Bane. So far, Bane has struggled somewhat with his new team. They signed Jamal Cain and Colin Castleton to 2 Way contracts. They signed Tyus Jones as a free agent. Finally, they traded for the rights to Noah Penda from Boston in exchange for the rights to Amari Williams and Max Shulga.
After this game at Orlando, the Celtics will stay on the road for a game at Philadelphia on Tuesday. Then they return home to face Memphis on Wednesday and have 3 days off before hosting the LA Clippers on Sunday. Then it is one game on the road at Brooklyn before playing Brooklyn, Orlando, and Detroit at home. The home game against Brooklyn will also be an Emerates NBA Cup game.
After this game, the Magic will play at home against Portland. They then head out on the road to play one game at New York before playing onr game at home against Brooklyn. Then it's one game at Houston before a 3 game home stand against Golden State, the LA Clippers and New York. Then it's a 3 game road trip through Boston, Philadelphia and Detroit.
Jayson Tatum remains out for this game as he rehabs from the torn Achilles that he suffered in last year's playoffs. Xavier Tillman is questionable for personal reasons. 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. I'm expecting both teams to field the same starting lineups that they used on Friday.
Key Matchups vs
Jaylen Brown vs Franz Wagner
Wagner is leading the Magic with 22.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.0 steals per game. He is shooting 49.7% from the field and 37.5% from beyond the arc. On Friday, he finished with 27 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, and 1 block while shooting 50% from the field and 28.6% from beyond the arc. The Celtics need to defend him better in this game.
vs
Josh Minott vs Paolo Banchero
Banchero is averaging 22.2 points, 9.4 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 1.1 blocks per game. He is shooting 44.3% from the field and 25.0% from beyond the arc. On Friday, he finished with 15 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal and 1 block while shooting 40% from the field and 33.3% from beyond the arc. The Celtics need to stay with him on defense, especially in the paint. They also have to box him out to prevent him from grabbing rebounds as he has been strong on the boards.
Honorable Mention Payton Pritchard vs Desmond Bane
Bane has struggled somewhat to begin the season with his new team but he had a strong game on Friday against the Celtics. He is averaging 13.9 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 3.5 assists. He is shooting 41.4% from the field and 28.6% from beyond the arc. On Friday, he finished with 22 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steal and 2 blocks while shooting 53.3% from the field and 40% from beyond the arc. The Celtics need to do a better job defending him in this game.
Keys to the Game Defense - Defense is always the key to winning games. The Celtics were second in the preseason with a defensive rating of 100.2, so they are capable of playing good defense. The Celtics are dropping and are now 14th with a defensive rating of 113.9. The Magic are 15th with a defensive rating of 114.0. The Celtics allowed the Magic to shoot 50% from the field and 47.2% from beyond the arc. 7 Orlando players scored in double figures. The Celtics must play better defense in this game.
Rebound - Rebounding may be the biggest key to winning right now since the Celtics' previous losses are largely because they weren't able to rebound. The Magic are 12th with 45.1 rebounds per game while the Celtics are 19th with 42.5 rebounds per game. They simply have to fight harder to grab rebounds than the Magic. Much of rebounding is effort as evidenced by Payton Pritchard grabbing 10 rebounds against the Pistons and averaging 4 rebounds per game. Every Celtic has got to crash the boards and fight for every rebound. Their effort on the boards will make all the difference.
Effort and Execution - I've already mentioned that the Celtics need to put out more effort on the boards but they have to play with more effort overall for all 4 quarters. In their 4 wins, the Celtics played harder and with more energy than their opponents. That has to be their identity this season. They have to play harder on defense and they have to rebound harder. They also have to execute better on both ends of the court. They have a very small margin of error and have to cut down on mistakes.
Offensive Execution - The Celtics shot just 21.6% from 3 against the Jazz. They are 27th in the league, averaging just 32.2% from beyond the arc. It's not just one Celtic who is struggling to hit their 3's, it is almost everyone on the team. On Friday, Brown was 1 for 6 on 3's, Hauser was 1 for 5 and White was also 1 for 6. 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.
Consistency - The Celtics have been able to build a lead in most of their losses. They led by 13 against the 76ers, 8 against the Knicks, 17 against the Pistons and 14 against the Jazz. However, they weren't able to keep or build on those leads. Against the 76ers, they built a 24 point lead but won by just 1 point. They need to play well on both ends of the court for all 4 quarters and not allow the Magic to build a lead or to overcome a Celtics' lead. The Celtics know how to play to win, but they have to play that way consistently and not just for 1 or 2 quarters.
X-Factors Road Game - The Celtics are playing on the road. They are facing distractions of travel and playing in an unfamiliar arena in front of hostile fans. Although, there is often a large contingent of Celtics fans in the arena. They need to shake off those distractions and keep their focus on playing the game. Young players often struggle more on the road and so the young Celtics have to stay focused and try to ignore the distractions.
Officiating - Officiating can always be an X-Factor. In some games, you don't even notice the referees and in other games, they seem to make the game all about them. Some crews call the game tight and others let the teams play. Some crews favor one of the teams while others call it fairly. Jaylen Brown would tell you that they definitely can be an x-factor after the last 2 games. No matter how the game is called, the Celtics must adjust and not allow the officiating to take away from their focus.
Topic: Celtics (4-6) at Magic (4-5) Game #11 11/9/25 (Read 120 times)