Boston Celtics vs Orlando Magic

Game 1 of the series highlighted the glaring contrast between these two teams. The Boston Celtics struggled to find their rhythm early, managing just 48 first-half points as the Orlando Magic took a surprising 1-point lead into halftime. But the Celtics flipped the script in the third quarter, delivering a Warriors-esque burst of dominance—reminiscent of Golden State’s championship runs in the mid-to-late 2010s.

A 30-18 third-quarter surge put Boston firmly in control, and Orlando’s offense sputtered without their floor general, Jalen Suggs, who missed the period due to injury. The Magic attempted a late rally, but against a deep, battle-tested Celtics squad, climbing out of a double-digit hole proved too difficult—especially with their lack of backcourt firepower.

The guard mismatch was staggering: Boston’s Jrue Holiday, Jaylen Brown, Payton Pritchard, and Derrick White combined for 74 points, with White erupting for 22 points (including 7 threes). Meanwhile, Orlando’s Cole Anthony, Anthony Black, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and Cory Joseph mustered just 17 points total—a glaring deficiency that wasted Paolo Banchero’s 36-point masterpiece and Franz Wagner’s 23-point contribution.

Offense will be the key for Orlando heading into Game 2. After managing only 86 points in a lopsided Game 1 loss to Boston—despite holding a slim halftime lead—the Magic are looking to bounce back on the scoring end.

As usual, Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner carried the scoring load, combining for 59 points on 24-of-51 shooting. The rest of the squad, however, contributed just 27 points on 10-of-31 shooting, with the other three starters combining for just 10 points—a brutal showing offensively.

Although Orlando’s offense has been below average all season, Sunday’s performance was particularly poor. The team averaged 105.4 points per game during the season, including 104.8 on the road, and had scored at least 87 points in 76 games. A repeat of Game 1’s offensive struggles seems unlikely.

Expect the coaching staff to make adjustments, likely involving more minutes for Cole Anthony and Anthony Black, who were solid contributors during the season but saw limited action in Game 1. They logged a combined 24 minutes, a number that should rise in Game 2 as the team looks to diversify its offensive threats.

From a betting perspective, Orlando has been solid on the Over as underdogs, cashing it in 17 of 35 games overall, including 13 of 22 on the road. The Magic cleared the 199-point game total in nine of their last 10 road games and in 18 of their last 20 away from home. They stayed under that number only 21 times all season.

Boston, too, trends heavily toward the Over at home, eclipsing 199 points in 18 of their last 20 games at TD Garden. The Celtics average 116.1 points per game overall and 116.6 at home.

Game 1 had a total line of 206, but with just 189 points scored, the Game 2 line has dropped dramatically to 199. That’s an overreaction by oddsmakers—and bettors seem to agree. With 65% of early money backing the Over, it’s hard to ignore the value in what looks like a bounce-back offensive game.