Magic squander chance at No. 7 seed, set to face 76ers on road in play-in
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The Orlando Magic failed to clinch the Eastern Conference’s No. 7 position on Sunday, dropping a five-point game to a depleted Boston Celtics lineup at TD Garden. The setback means Orlando will travel to Philadelphia for Wednesday’s play-in contest, the first of two chances to secure a playoff berth.
“It was a must-win game, at least I thought,” forward Paolo Banchero said afterward. “We just didn’t come out with urgency.”
Orlando led by 16 early, but a disastrous third quarter erased the advantage. Banchero recorded a triple-double—23 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds—and was plus-two in 38 minutes, yet shot 7-for-22 and committed six turnovers. Head coach Jamahl Mosley, who has lamented the club’s inconsistent intensity throughout the season, again pointed to urgency as the missing element.
The Celtics, already locked into the East’s No. 2 seed, rested their entire starting five and several key reserves, leaving only eight available players. Four of them posted career highs: Baylor Scheierman (30 points), Ron Harper Jr. (27), Luka Garza (27) and John Tonje (13). “You’ve got to give Boston a ton of credit for the way they came out with those seven-eight guys and played their tails off,” Mosley said.
Franz Wagner, in his sixth game back from a high ankle sprain, was limited to 26 minutes and played with a wrap on his left leg. The forward finished with 20 points and four rebounds on 7-of-18 shooting. “I’m trying to push through and get as much time out there as I can,” Wagner noted.
Desmond Bane appeared in all 82 regular-season games for the first time in his six-year career, but Sunday’s minutes plan nearly kept him on the bench. Mosley intended to limit the 27-year-old to an opening six-minute stint, yet Bane re-entered during the fourth quarter once the lead slipped away, finishing with 18 minutes. “I appreciate him letting me go back in and giving me a chance to help us win,” Bane said.
Despite the loss, both Wagner and Bane expressed optimism ahead of the play-in. “We’ve got an opportunity to play postseason basketball,” Bane added. “Not everybody gets to experience that, so I’m looking forward to it.”
Source: Hoops Rumors
