Bloodied, battered, but unshaken, the Boston Celtics sent a defiant message to the rest of the NBA on Wednesday: if you plan to intimidate them physically, be ready to take a hit back. Without star forward Jayson Tatum, the Celtics held their ground and claimed a 109-100 win over the Orlando Magic at TD Garden, taking a 2-0 lead in their Eastern Conference first-round playoff series.
Jaylen Brown spearheaded the victory, pouring in 36 points and drilling five of his seven three-point attempts. With Tatum sidelined for the first playoff game of his career due to a bruised right wrist, Brown stepped up to ensure the Celtics maintained control of the series heading into Friday’s Game 3 in Orlando.
“It was a tough, physical game. Nothing easy on either side,” said Kristaps Porzingis, who battled through his own injuries during the contest. “Every rebound is a war and it’s probably going to be that way for the rest of the series.”
Porzingis himself had a dramatic moment, leaving the game briefly after sustaining a deep cut on his hand that required stitches. He later returned to a roaring crowd, calling it one of his “WWE moments.”
“I love my ‘WWE’ moments for sure,” Porzingis said. “It just happens in the game… blood again, crowd was going to go with it. It’s cool. It was fine.”
The contest saw tempers flare once again between Orlando’s Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Boston’s Al Horford after a second-quarter tangle, further adding to the intensity of the series. Caldwell-Pope had earlier fouled Tatum on the play that caused his wrist injury in Game 1.
Porzingis, undeterred by the bruises, underscored Boston’s stance: “We expect teams to be doing this kind of stuff… get in our heads, try to provoke us. We weren’t surprised but we’re just not going to take it. We’re going to hit them right back.”
Meanwhile, in Cleveland, Donovan Mitchell led the Cavaliers past the Miami Heat 121-112 with a late surge, scoring 17 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter to seal a 2-0 lead in their series.
In the West, Jalen Green’s 38-point performance helped the Houston Rockets even their series with the Golden State Warriors at 1-1, though the Warriors’ night turned grim after Jimmy Butler exited with a pelvis contusion. An MRI is scheduled for Thursday.
As the playoffs heat up, the Celtics have made their stance clear: they’re not backing down—physically or otherwise.
