The Orlando Magic can move a step closer to securing the seventh spot in the Eastern Conference Wednesday when they meet the visiting Boston Celtics.
Sixth place is out of reach for the Magic (39-40), but the seventh position would allow Orlando to play at home throughout the NBA’s play-in tournament. Even with a loss as the No. 7 or No. 8 team in the play-in, Orlando could still extend its season by beating the winner of the tournament’s No. 9/No. 10 matchup.
Orlando moved two games ahead of Atlanta by beating the Hawks 119-112 Tuesday. Atlanta (37-42) is in eighth place.
Paolo Banchero collected 33 points and 10 rebounds for Orlando on Tuesday. The Magic also received a 22-point performance from Franz Wagner, who has scored at least 20 points in each of his past 11 games.
Orlando coach Jamahl Mosley said he had a simple message for his team following Tuesday’s win.
“Enjoy it right now because you took care of business,” he said. “You have to do it again (Wednesday). That’s what’s important — take care of home court. Then you challenge them to be better.
“Yes it’s a good win because of what’s at stake, but the ability to be better in these moments is what we have to be.”
After the matchup with Boston (59-20), Orlando will finish the regular season with road games against the Indiana Pacers on Friday and the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday.
The Celtics will be the No. 2 seed for the Eastern Conference playoffs regardless of how they fare in their final three games. After facing Orlando, Boston will play home games against the Charlotte Hornets on Friday and Sunday.
The Celtics extended their road winning streak to nine games with a 119-117 overtime victory against the New York Knicks on Tuesday. Kristaps Porzingis matched his season high by scoring 34 points in the victory, which improved Boston’s road record to 33-7. If Boston beats Orlando, the Celtics would match the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors for best road record in NBA history.
Following the win against the Knicks, Boston coach Joe Mazzulla played down the importance of a late-season victory over a team that Boston could see in the playoffs.
“I don’t think it has anything to do with who we might see or might not see,” he said. “There’s so much we have to do before that, which is win (Wednesday) and the (game) after and the next (game) to get there, so that part isn’t. Being part of a game where you have to execute and test your attention to detail — I thought our defensive attention to detail was good. I thought our offensive (attention) could use a little more work, so it left us with possessions we know we have to get better at.”
Wednesday’s matchup will be the third meeting between the Celtics and Magic this season. Orlando earned a 108-104 home victory on Dec. 23, and Boston prevailed 121-94 at home on Jan. 17.
Tristan da Silva scored 18 points to help the Magic rally from a 15-point halftime deficit in their victory over the Celtics, who played without leading scorer Jayson Tatum (illness). Tatum tossed in 30 points when Boston beat Orlando.
–Field Level Media
