Facing the franchise that eliminated them from the first round of theNBA playoffs last season, the Magic didn’t need to find any extra motivation against the Celtics at Kia Center on Friday night.
And just in case they did, the matchup between the Eastern Conference foes was also a part of the group stage for the [NBA Cup](https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/11/07/orlando-ma…
Facing the franchise that eliminated them from the first round of theNBA playoffs last season, the Magic didn’t need to find any extra motivation against the Celtics at Kia Center on Friday night.
And just in case they did, the matchup between the Eastern Conference foes was also a part of the group stage for the NBA Cup, the league’s in-season tournament.
The Magic leaned on the energy inside their home arena, filled with a sold-out crowd of 19,154 fans, to take down Boston 127-110. Orlando got a team-high 27 points from Franz Wagner and an overall strong shooting night from 3-point range for a season-high 17 3-pointers, or 47.2% from beyond the arc.
Although Boston scored 17 points off 15 Orlando turnovers, the Magic had seven different scorers finish in double figures, including Desmond Bane (22 points with 7 assist and 6 rebounds).
The Celtics (4-6) were led by Jaylen Brown’s 32 points (he only scored 2 in the fourth quarter), but had turnover problems themselves when Orlando scored 22 points off 14 takeaways.
The Magic (4-5) host the Celtics again Sunday at Kia Center.
Fast start
The Magic came out firing against the Celtics when they hit their first three 3s and led 38-25 after the opening quarter.
Franz Wagner powered the team early with 9 first-quarter points by hitting his first triple and getting to the free throw line, where he shot 4 for 4 in his first 8 minutes on the floor.
Orlando didn’t commit many fouls (4), limited turnovers (3) and shared the ball (12 assists) when it pieced together nearly 40 points in the first frame against Boston.
And it wasn’t Wagner who had success from distance. The team overall shot 7 for 12 (58.3%) from beyond the arc, a mark that included two triples from Tristan da Silva off the bench.
The entire quarter started when Jalen Suggs made a sharp bounce pass to Wendell Carter Jr., who slammed the ball down to jumpstart the Magic at home.
Wagner’s way
The German forward built off his first quarter by continuing to attack downhill and distribute the ball.
Poor shooting from 3 (2 for 7) didn’t slow him down when he made his way to the free throw line regularly throughout the night (7 for 7). He added 6 rebounds and 6 assists in 37 minutes.
Wagner’s second triple from the right corner put the Magic ahead by 4 points with just over five minutes left in the contest.
Pritchard’s patience
Celtics guard Payton Pritchard has struggled from distance to open the year, shooting just 22.4% from 3-point. But that wasn’t the case Friday.
Pritchard buried his fourth long-range bucket in front of the basket to tie the game 62 early in the third quarter.
Hitting 5 of 8 from distance, Pritchard ended with 27 points in 32 minutes.
Da Silva dynamic
The second-year forward hit his first pair of 3-pointers in the first quarter and later added his third 3 late in the third quarter.
Scoring 15-plus points in three of his last four games entering Friday, da Silva totaled 11 in 18 minutes against Boston.
He and Anthony Black (13) provided a boost off the bench when the duo scored 24 of Orlando’s 27 total bench points. The Magic reserves outscored Boston’s 27-18.
Jason Beede can be reached at jbeede@orlandosentinel.com