Game 1 of Celtics Vs Magic certainly had it's drama, the biggest one being Tatum's wrist injury he sustained midway through the 4th quarter. Tatum went for a 2 handed dunk on 2 defenders and landed a bit akwardly on his wrist, taking a few minutes to get up. Luckily he was able to play through it without much trouble, hitting a few jumpshots in the process. Tatum spoke after the game, stating he was all good.
Definitely good news from Tatum here:
— Noa Dalzell 🏀 (@NoaDalzell) April 20, 2025
“I just landed on it. It was throbbing for a sec. It kind of went away.” https://t.co/HHjAVBpDPy
This is is obviously good news knowing he isn't in a ton of pain, but also will allow fans to breath knowing he will not have to miss time, potentially prolonging the series and throwing him and the team out of rhythm. Coming into the game, the Magic were a top 2 defense in points allowed per game and defensive rating, and were an extremely gritty and hard nosed defense, and that was on full display, holding the Celtics to just 48 points in the first half, and 22 in the 2nd quarter, the lowest of the game.
The Celtics looked lost, with either prolonged decision making that lead to late shot clock heaves, or 1 and done posessions with no passes/ball movement. Luckily in the 2nd half, the team was able to adjust, scoring 55 in the 2nd half and winning the game by a commanding 17 points. A bit of rust is likely a portion of what caused a rocky first half, before finding their ground. Jaylen Brown spoke after the game about Orlando's physicality and how it impacted them.
Asked Jaylen Brown about the shift at the half:
— Noa Dalzell 🏀 (@NoaDalzell) April 20, 2025
“They were more physical than us. The second half, we kind of shifted that.”
“There's gonna be a lot of that this series. Can't expect nothing less. It's gonna be more fight than it is skill. Our guys got to be ready to fight.” pic.twitter.com/jvyAL0DAtX
Jaylen Brown's bone bruise injury was a concern for some heading into the playoffs, as he was in and out of the lineup down the stretch of the regular season, and having a brutal final game where he shot 2-6 in 22 minutes, looking slow and lacking any burst. Luckily, he didn't play for nearly 2 weeks, giving him plenty of time to heal. While he did not have a great game, he certainly looked better in the 2nd half, which could be attributed to a bit of rust. Now he has 2 full days of rest before game 2 on Wednesday.
He spoke after the game stating "I’m feeling a lot better, moving a lot better. So I think that's great. Some people definitely have been praying for me over the last couple weeks.”
Via GwashburnGlobe
On a side note, Payton Pritchard was nominated as a finalist for 6th man of the year, along with Ty Jerome and Malik Beasely. Payton had a career year averaging 14.3 points on 47.2/40.7 splits, while being a huge factor for the Celtics offense. Given the slight decline of veteran players Jrue Holiday and Al Horford, it is crucial that Payton stepped up this year to add an extra spark to the offense. He was a a good player for the Celtics in their 1st title run, but in the playoffs he only averaged 6 points in 18 minutes. This year, the Celtics will need every last bit of his contributions for another title, as evident in game 1, with the teams big 3 all struggling, and Payton was able to come through with 19 points and 4 three pointers.
The three finalists for the 2024-25 Kia NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award:
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) April 20, 2025
▪️ Malik Beasley of @DetroitPistons
▪️ Ty Jerome of @cavs
▪️ Payton Pritchard of @celtics pic.twitter.com/HeK8mQvPBQ