Celtics show grit late in Game 4 to move within one win from advancing to second round - The Boston Globe (2025)

But it is worth remembering that in addition to being defending NBA champions, this Celtics core has been tested in so many games with stakes much higher than Sunday’s. In this case, Boston punched back with a game-defining 10-1 run and eventually secured a 107-98 win to take a commanding 3-1 series lead.

The Celtics will attempt to end the series in Game 5 at TD Garden on Tuesday.

“I was excited for that moment [when it was tied at 91], because I knew we were going to figure it out and make plays,” forward Jayson Tatum said. “It’s not just me; everybody made plays. So, we just showed our competitive spirit. That was fun.”

Even though the Magic entered Sunday in a 2-1 deficit, they appeared to be the team that was setting the tone with their physical, bruising style of play. They were bottling up Boston’s 3-point shooters and leaving marks on the Celtics when they tried to attack the rim.

The Magic were called for flagrant fouls in each of the first three games, with Tatum bruising his wrist, Kristaps Porzingis taking a gash to his forehead, and Jaylen Brown dislocating an index finger. After Boston’s Game 3 loss, the trend compelled Brown to declare that if the Magic wanted to “fight it out” to determine the winner, the Celtics would not back down.

There were some mild moments Sunday that stopped short of becoming altercations, but at least piqued the interest of the crowd and got players from both teams to stand from their benches.

Wendell Carter Jr.’s hard foul on Celtics guard Derrick White, for example, prompted Al Horford to wave a finger at Carter and make it clear he was not pleased. Tatum even exchanged words with Magic coach Jamahl Mosley after he was fouled on a 3-pointer in front of Orlando’s bench.

For the most part, though, the Celtics sent a message with their play, with Horford sending two of his five blocked shots soaring into the crowd, and Porzingis breaking the 91-91 tie with a loud one-handed putback slam as he was fouled.

“Just taking care of the boards, taking care of the trenches, taking care of the little plays like that,” Brown said. “The physicality, not fouling for unnecessary reasons, and just playing basketball. I still think we can be better, but, way to close the game out.”

The Celtics out-rebounded the Magic, 46-38, limited Orlando to seven offensive rebounds on 50 missed shots, and held a 32-20 edge in free-throw attempts.

Tatum finished with 37 points and 14 rebounds to lead Boston. Brown had 21 points and 11 rebounds and Porzingis had 19 points in just 22 minutes, limited by foul trouble. Point guard Jrue Holiday missed his second consecutive game due to a hamstring strain.

Paolo Banchero had 31 points to pace Orlando but he made just 12 of 32 shots and committed four turnovers. The Magic continued to be hindered by long-range shooting woes, going just 3 for 15 from beyond the arc in the second half.

The Celtics took a 79-75 lead to the fourth quarter and briefly stretched it to 7, but the Magic consistently stopped the Celtics from crafting a signature run. Neither team held a double-digit lead in the game.

A Kentavious Caldwell-Pope 3-pointer followed by a Carter Jr. putback tied the score at 91 with 4:21 remaining.

After a timeout, Porzingis missed an alley-oop layup but rose back up and threw down a one-handed follow-slam as he was fouled. Two Brown free throws pushed the lead to 96-91.

After a Magic free throw due to a delay of game technical foul, Tatum hit a fadeaway jumper before he was fouled by Banchero on a 3-pointer. His free throws pushed the lead to 101-92, and Boston was never in danger again.

“The game-plan execution is very simple,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said. “You have to win the margins. You’ve got to win in the trenches, and you have to compete at a high level, and you’ve got to play physical. And our guys did that tonight throughout the game.”

Adam Himmelsbach can be reached at adam.himmelsbach@globe.com. Follow him @adamhimmelsbach.