Tatum Scores 32 as Celtics Beat Magic 108-97 for Fifth Straight Win

Featured image: the Orlando Magic’s arena, now named Kia Center, during its first game in 2010 (file photo). Photo: 350z33, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

Jayson Tatum scored 32 points, 15 of them at the free-throw line, and the Boston Celtics beat the Orlando Magic 108-97 at Kia Center on Sunday, Nov. 1, for their fifth straight win. The Celtics Magic result moves Boston to 5-1 and drops Orlando to 2-4 and 0-3 at home, according to the Associated Press recap.

How the Celtics pulled away in Orlando

Boston led 24-23 after one quarter and 55-50 at halftime, then opened the third quarter by holding Orlando scoreless for the first four minutes to build a 15-point lead, the AP reported. Orlando answered with a 12-0 run, helped by three of Tristan da Silva’s five 3-pointers, and cut the deficit to 77-74 going into the fourth.

Early in the fourth, Anthony Black stole an outlet pass from Paul George and finished a three-point play to tie the game at 79. On Orlando’s next trip, Franz Wagner missed a layup that would have given the Magic the lead. Boston then won the quarter 31-23. George scored 10 of his 17 points in the fourth, and his 3-pointer with 1:32 left gave the Celtics an 11-point lead. Neemias Queta added two key blocks in the final two minutes.

Tatum’s night at the line

Tatum made 15 of his 17 free throws, according to the ESPN box score. Orlando attempted 19 free throws as a team, so Tatum alone went to the line almost as often as the entire Magic roster. He also missed part of the first half. Late in the first quarter the back of his head collided with the forehead of Orlando’s Jamal Cain. Tatum was bleeding and went to the locker room, then returned with 6:13 left in the second quarter.

Queta started at center with Mitchell Robinson out for rest. The NBA’s official scorer’s report also lists guard Devin Carter as inactive with an illness. Luka Garza scored 12 points off the bench and Baylor Scheierman 10. AP noted that Boston leads the NBA in bench scoring.

For Orlando, Black and da Silva scored 23 points each and Wagner had 14 points and a career-high 12 assists. Paolo Banchero missed his fourth straight game with a high ankle sprain. The scorer’s report also lists Jonathan Isaac (left knee), Jalen Suggs (right knee), Izaiyah Nelson (left ankle) and Noah Penda (hamstring) as inactive. Our Celtics-Magic preview covered the Orlando injury list before tip-off.

By the numbers: what the box score shows

NBA.com’s team totals show how close the game was. Boston had 38 points in the paint to Orlando’s 36, 32 bench points to 30, and 15 second-chance points to 12. The biggest gap was ball security. Orlando committed 16 turnovers to Boston’s 12, and the Celtics scored 21 points off turnovers to the Magic’s 16. Those five extra points make up nearly half of the 11-point final margin (TBR calculation from NBA.com data).

Across six games, Boston has scored 712 points and allowed 655. That is an average margin of +9.5 points a game, up from +9.2 after five games (TBR calculations from ESPN and NBA.com results). The 35-point win over Chicago on Oct. 26 inflates that figure; the streak also includes a 125-111 NBA Cup win over the Bulls on Oct. 30. Three of the five wins in the streak were by 11 points or more, and the other two were by four points and one point.

The game lasted 2 hours, 21 minutes, in front of 18,236 fans, according to the official scorer’s report. There were five lead changes and four ties.

What’s next for Boston

The Celtics play the second half of a back-to-back at Houston on Monday night, Nov. 2, while the Magic host Washington. Check the full Celtics schedule for tip times and TV.

Sources

• NBA.com: Celtics at Magic game summary and AP recap, Nov. 1, 2026
• NBA official scorer’s report: Celtics at Magic final box
• ESPN: Celtics 108-97 Magic final score
• AP News: Jayson Tatum scores 32 to lead Celtics to win at Orlando

Additional sources

• ESPN: Boston Celtics 2026-27 schedule and results
• Wikimedia Commons: arena photo (CC BY-SA 3.0)