Celtics’ stars shine as Boston bounces back in Game 4 win over Magic

ORLANDO Despite being miles away from TD Garden Jayson Tatum heard familiar chants as he stepped to the foul line late in Sunday s playoff tournament MVP MVP MVP The Celtics star delivered a performance worthy of those cheers racking up points rebounds three assists and three steals as Boston defeated the Magic - at the Kia Center to take a - lead in its best-of-seven first-round series Sixteen of his points came in the fourth quarter helping the Celtics pull away in the final four minutes Co-star Jaylen Brown also notched a double-double with points and rebounds plus two steals and Kristaps Porzingis bounced back after struggling in the Celtics Competition loss finishing with points and five rebounds despite foul trouble that limited him to minutes Derrick White added points seven assists and seven rebounds and Al Horford starting in place of an injured Jrue Holiday blocked five shots in the win which pushed the seventh-seeded Magic to the brink of elimination The Celtics can advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals with a win Tuesday night in Boston After attempting a season-low -pointers in Event the Celtics seemed to make upping that number a priority early in Sunday s match They put up six threes in the opening four minutes including a Tatum pull-up in transition They misfired on all of those however and instead relied on shots much closer to the basket to power their early-game offense Boston s first six made field goals came in the paint and five of those were at or near the rim including three Porzingis dunks The latter was a positive rise for the Celtics who sought to get the big man more involved after he turned in one of his worst performances of the season in Challenge Another plus for Boston was the play of Sam Hauser who was held scoreless in each of the Celtics first three playoff games while attempting just four total shots Hauser launched two -pointers late in the first quarter and made both to help the Celtics climb out of an early eight-point deficit Those were the only six points Boston s bench scored in the championship The Celtics got more contributions from both players early in the second Porzingis fed a nifty give-and-go pass to White for a tough and-one layup drew another foul on the ensuing possession and then hit his first -pointer of the postseason snapping an -for- drought from beyond the arc He also deflected a Cole Anthony pass in the Celtics end and Hauser dove on it to force a turnover With five minutes remaining in the first half Porzingis had points and the Celtics held a - lead Then he was whistled for an offensive foul while setting a screen for Tatum and the Magic seized momentum Porzingis was confident he did not deserve the whistle emphatically gesturing for Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla to challenge the foul The authorities disagreed Boston lost its challenge Porzingis headed to the bench with three fouls and Orlando ripped off a - run that featured three Celtics turnovers to tie the encounter Boston was able to regain its footing thanks to several timely defensive plays by White The Celtics guard denied Wendell Carter Jr at the rim to foil a -on- Magic break then poked the ball away from Banchero while the Magic star drove for a would-be layup Boston closed the half on a - run capped by a Tatum -pointer with seconds remaining and took a - lead into the locker room The Celtics frustration with what they ve viewed as over-the-top physicality from Orlando boiled over early in the third quarter After Carter dropped White with a hip check on a fast break Horford sprinted in to confront the Magic center Tatum and agents had to separate the two and Carter s play was reviewed for what would have been Orlando s fourth flagrant foul of the series Referee Mark Davis ruled it did not meet that criteria leaving it as a common foul Porzingis sat for the first of the second half with Luke Kornet replacing him in the top unit He hit a three and tallied a steal after returning then was called back to the bench after picking up his fourth foul with to play in the third quarter He committed his fifth two minutes into the fourth Fouls were an issue for Payton Pritchard too The Celtics guard was called for loose ball fouls after missed Magic shots late in the first and third quarters gifting Orlando four free throws Anthony Black s foul shots in the final minute of the third cut Boston s lead to - entering the final quarter The Celtics were able to maintain that cushion for the first seven minutes of the fourth getting seven points from Tatum five from White and a powerful block from Horford to keep Orlando at bay But the Magic eventually equalized on a -pointer by Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and a Carter tip-in tying the tournament at - with remaining That s when Mazzulla reinserted Porzingis and he forthwith restored the Celtics lead missing a gimme at the rim but drawing a foul on his own putback dunk Free throws by Brown on the next Boston possession made it - Horford then was called for a delay-of-game technical foul on an Orlando inbounds pass an rare call in that situation but the Celtics got a stop and Tatum scored on their next two trips down the floor He hit a fadeaway over Banchero then took contact from his fellow Duke alum on an errant -pointer and made all three free throws Yet another Horford block and a clutch offensive rebound by Pritchard helped Boston finish off its underdog hosts Tatum sank four more foul shots in the final minute while the emptying crowd which featured a sizable contingent of Celtics fans at both games this weekend cheered him on