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Orlando Magic (45-36) at Boston Celtics (55-26)
Sunday, April 12, 2026
6:00 PM ET
Regular Season Game #82 Home Game #41
TV: ESPN, NBCSB, FDSNFL
Radio: 98.5 Sports Hub , WYGM 96.9, Sirius XM
TD Garden
Probable Starters Probable Celtics Starters PG
SG
SF
PF
C
PG: Max Shulga
SG: Baylor Scheierman
SF: Hugo Gonzalez
PF: Jordan Walsh
C: Luka Garza
Celtics ReservesAmare Williams
Ron Harper, Jr
Delano Banton
John Tonje
2-Way PlayersNone
Injuries/OutDerrick White (knee) out
Neemias Queta (toe) out
Sam Hauser (back) doubtful
Jaylen Brown (Achilles) out
Jayson Tatum (injury management) out
Payton Pritchard (plantar fasciitis) doubtful
Nikola Vucevic (finger) doubtful
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
Jamal Cain
Jevon Carter
Tristan daSilva
Noah Penda
Jase Richardon
Moritz Wagner
2-Way Players Colin Castleton
Alex Morales
Injuries/Out Jett Howard (ankle) questionable
Jonathan Isaac (knee) questionable
Head Coach Jamahl Mosley
Game Notes The Celtics host the Orlando Magic for the 4th, and final, meeting 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. The Celtics won the 3rd game 138-129 in Boston. The Celtics won the series 2-1 last season. The Celtics are 78-58 overall all time against the Magic. They are 51-18 all time in games played in Boston.
This could be a preview of the Celtics most likely first round matchup. Orlando can move up to 6th if they beat the Celtics and Toronto loses to the Nets. If Toronto beats the Nets, Orlando will have to play Philadelphia in the play in to decide the 7th seed. 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 2nd in the East, 4 games behind 1st place Detroit. They are 2 games ahead of 3rd place New York, 4 games ahead of 4th place Cleveland, 9 games ahead of 5th place Atlanta and 10 games ahead of 6th place Toronto and 7th place Orlando. The Celtics are 35-16 against Eastern Conference opponents. They are 29-11 at home and 8-2 in their last 10 games. They are coming off a win in their last game.
The Magic are 7th in the East, 6 games behind 4th place Cleveland, 2 game behind 5th place Atlanta and tied with 6th place Toronto. They are 1 game ahead of 8th place Philadelphia, 2 games ahead of 9th place Charlotte and 3 games ahead of 10th place Miami. They are 26-25 against Eastern Conference opponents. They are 19-19 on the road and 7-3 in their last 10 games. They have won their last 5 games.
The Celtics have an extensive injury report for this game. Jaylen Brown (Achilles), Neemias Queta (toe), Jayson Tatum (injury management), and Derrick White (knee) are all listed as out. Sam Hauser (back), Payton Pritchard (plantar fasciitis), and Nikola Vucevic (finger) are all doubtful. I have just made a wild guess as to the Celtics starters for this game. For the Magic, Jett Howard (ankle) and Jonathan Isaac (knee) are both listed as questionable.
Key Matchups vs
Jordan Walsh vs Paolo Banchero
Banchero is averaging 22.2 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 5.1 assists per game. He is shooting 46.2% from the field and 31.1% from beyond the arc. In 2 games against the Celtics this season, he averaged 21.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 4.0 assists per game while shooting 50% from the field and 12.5% from beyond the arc.
vs
Hugo Gonzalez vs Franz Wagner
Wagner is averaging 20.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game. He is shooting 48.5% from the field and 34.8% from beyond the arc. In 3 games against the Celtics this season, he averaged 20.7 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 4.7 assists per game while shooting 42.2% from the field and 25.0% from beyond the arc.
Honorable Mention Baylor Scheierman vs Desmond Bane
Bane is averaging 20.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.1 steals per game. He is shooting 48.5% from the field and 39.2% from beyond the arc. In 3 games against the Celtics this season he averaged 16.3 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists while shooting 48.6% from the field and 37.5% from beyond the arc.
Keys to the Game Defense - Defense is always the key to winning games. The Celtics are now 4th in the league with a defensive rating of 111.8. The Magic are 14th with a defensive rating of 113.7 In their last loss, the Celtics allowed the Knicks to shoot 53.8% from the field and 42.9% from beyond the arc. They were lax on defense and that cost them the game. The Celtics are going to have to work harder on defense than the Magic and lock down the Magic's shooters.
Rebound - Rebounding is also a big key to winning The Magic are 19th with 43.3 rebounds per game while the Celtics are 3rd with 46.4 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 crash the boards.
Effort and Energy for 48 Minutesc- The Celtics have to play with extra effort overall for all 4 quarters. The Celtics are missing a lot of firepower on the injury list and so the best way to make up for that is to play harder than the Magic. The Celtics need to make playing with more effort and energy their identity for the upcoming playoffs and it needs to start with this 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. The Magic score 18.6 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. 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.
Next Man Up - The Celtics will be missing at least 4 and possibly as many as 7 players for this game. The stay ready group will get a chance to show that they are ready for playoff minutes and need to take advantage of that opportunity. They need to hit their shots and defend at a high level in order to beat the motivated and healthy Magic.
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. 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.
Topic: Magic (45-36) at Celtics (55-26) Game 82 4/12/26 (Read 560 times)