Tensions Flare Again as Celtics Set Own Physical Tone in Game 2 Win

BOSTON — Wednesday’s Game 2 between the Celtics and Magic might’ve resembled Sunday’s game. Orlando played within one possession at halftime. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Al Horford engaged in another dust-up. The Magic made almost as many threes as the Celtics did early, but couldn’t get to the free throw line.

Boston did, 23 times in the first half, matching the league-leading Nuggets’ season average after finishing last in attempts during the regular season. Winning that margin again, 33-24, gave the Celtics a slight edge, 109-100, in a grueling, nasty and at times tense Game 2.

“We love that,” Wendell Carter Jr. said after the game. “That’s the playoffs. That’s the best of the year … you’re getting the crowd involved. It’s a lot of fun.”

The Celtics rode the Magic’s continued physicality shaking off most fouls and strolling to the line until Horford and Caldwell-Pope collided in the back court. Horford popped to his feet and yelled at Caldwell-Pope after accusing him of adding something to his foul on Jayson Tatum the day before. Tatum (wrist) did not play.

Caldwell-Pope embraced the hostilities, pumping up the crowd early, while Joe Mazzulla pulled Horford away from the brief scrum before Boston huddled up as a team. Officials did not call a flagrant on Caldwell-Pope this time, who began the game pumping his arms as the crowd booed him following a foul. His Magic teammates and head coach Jamahl Mosley defended him in the aftermath of the play, and maintained they’d stay true to their physical style. Cole Anthony even celebrated getting Boston to complain about them — taking it as a victory.

“I think it’s great. It fits. It’s been who we’ve been since we got here. These guys embrace the challenge, the defensive focus, the defensive mindset, hanging our hat there.”

They could also claim another half playing Boston close, but Orlando allowing a 14-5 run to the Celtics at the start of the second quarter with Brown off the floor proved to be a decisive stretch and put them behind by 11 points. They climbed uphill from that point on, staying close, fouling 23 times and fighting for isolation baskets as Paolo Banchero again tried to take down the defending champions nearly on his own.

For the Celtics, the first half came down to taking the hit and converting the free throws. Kristaps Porziņģis, who shot 12 of Boston’s 23 in the first half, stumbled into the crowd following a shove from Carter Jr. and stayed for a moment to fire up the fans in the second. He began the quarter with a mid-ranger, block on Banchero, cutting dunk and bank shot that announced he was back from a 1-for-8 Game 1. Horford rushed onto the court following one of the Magic’s three timeouts in the second to pump up Porziņģis. The Magic used six timeouts by the end of the third quarter.

“We’re gonna be us,” “We’re not gonna let anybody punk us. We expect teams to be trying to do this kind of stuff. To get our in our heads, to try to provoke us, to maybe try to maybe get some reaction out of us, some technical … it’s an emotional game, obviously, so we weren’t surprised. We’re just not gonna take it. We’re gonna hit them right back. I was more aggressive. My shot, I rushed maybe a few … I missed even free throws … I expect myself to be a lot better … first game was not ideal, maybe a bit too passive … staying aggressive and finding my rhythm.”

But the Celtics also needed buckets, and Brown provided just enough across 41 minutes with 36 points on 12-for-19 shooting. He hit five threes, buried mid-rangers off hesitation moves, only turned into over once until late in the second quarter and his 14 points in the first half allowed the Celtics to stay ahead by three. Then, Brown opened the second half with back-to-back threes.

Boston led by 12 following an 11-0 run, Payton Pritchard pushed Wagner behind the half court line to force a turnover, Jrue Holiday attacked Banchero and scored, then Brown blew up a play and dunked on the break to push the lead to 14.

“It was a physical game all night long,” Brown said. “For me, getting my jumper going opened some stuff up. Just playing the game, getting to my spots, making plays for my team. It wasn’t too many Xs-and-Os. It just came down to making plays. I think going into the next game, we have to find ways to improve the efficiency of our offense … but great effort from our team to pull out a win.”

That’s when the Magic turned to Goga Bitadze, who crashed into Porziņģis as he hauled in a defensive rebound and tore his forehead open. Blood rushed down his face that he saw immediately. The Magic drew another flagrant.

Porziņģis wrapped a towel around his head and darted to the locker room with a smile on his face to receive another embrace from the crowd. When he returned minutes later to shoot the free throws, he wore a massive bandage on his forehead, dried blood stained the back of his head and the crowd entered a frenzy.

It was an all-time TD Garden moment as the Celtics staved off a growing number of Magic jump shots between the third and fourth quarters with Porziņģis back in the locker room receiving his stitches. And it reflected how the Celtics shook off the Magic’s physical tactics. They walked to the line, shot 25-of-33 there, and won the game.

“How could I not come out? Like, ‘oh, I have five stitches, I can’t play anymore,’ like no, my legs work, everything works. So of course, I’m gonna leave it out there and as I said, I like these moments. I come back out, get a little love from the crowd … this is not gonna stop me. I’m gonna keep going.”

Derrick White hit a pair of threes in the fourth, picked up his fifth foul and gave way to Pritchard, who powered through one more Carter Jr. foul in the post after getting stuck underneath the rim — and flexed.