The Orlando Magic (46-35) clinched the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference with a 96-76 win over the short-handed Boston Celtics (62-19) on Wednesday, April 9, behind Franz Wagner’s 23-point night and a dominant second-half run.
Wagner extended his streak to 12 straight games with 20 or more points, while Cole Anthony added 18 off the bench and Paolo Banchero chipped in 15 points and six assists. With the victory, Orlando secured home-court advantage in the first round of the play-in tournament and clinched the Southeast Division title.
Boston, already locked into the No. 2 seed, rested their top six players — Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Kristaps Porzingis, Jrue Holiday, Derrick White, and Al Horford — following an overtime win Tuesday against New York. The Celtics struggled offensively, finishing just 7-of-40 from three and posting a season-low 76 points.
Baylor Scheierman and Payton Pritchard led Boston with 15 points each. It was the Celtics’ second road loss of the season in Orlando, both without Tatum.
A pivotal stretch came in the third quarter when Wagner, Gary Harris, and Caleb Houstan all connected from deep, and Banchero scored six points during a 20-4 run that expanded Orlando’s lead from eight to 24.
The Magic have now won eight of their last ten games and will host their first play-in matchup next week. The winner will earn a first-round series against these same Celtics.
The Celtics return home to face the Charlotte Hornets on Friday, April 11. The Magic visit the Indiana Pacers that same night.
