Jayson Tatum #0 and Marcus Smart #36 of the Boston Celtics react after defeating the Orlando Magic at Amway Center on October 22, 2022 in Orlando, Florida. Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images/AFP
Jayson Tatum scored 40 points and the Boston Celtics made 19 3-pointers to remain unbeaten after three games with a 126-120 victory over the Orlando Magic, who were playing in their home opener.
Derrick White added 27 points for the Celtics, while going 5 of 9 from 3-point range. Tatum made four of his 10 shots from distance while Grant Williams went 3 of 3 from long range while contributing 13 points.
All five Magic starters scored in double figures. Terrence Ross had 29 points, followed by rookie Paolo Banchero (23), Franz Wagner, (18), Wendell Carter Jr. (15) and Cole Anthony (14). Carter also had a game-high 12 rebounds.
The Celtics used a 5-0 run to go in front 116-111 with 3:35 remaining and had the lead the rest of the way.
The Magic have yet to win a game in three tries.
Boston led 36-33 after one quarter, but the game was tied 68-68 at halftime. Orlando made it a 94-94 game on a Ross 3-pointer with 2:41 remaining in the third, but the Celtics scored the final five points of the quarter to carry a 99-94 lead into the final period.
Tatum scored 21 points on 8-of-10 shooting in the first half, when six Celtic players made at least one 3-pointer. Boston was 14 of 27 (51.9 percent) on 3-pointers in the opening half.
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It was the second game in as many nights for the Celtics, who had 36-year-old center Al Horford listed as inactive because of lower back soreness. Noah Vonleh started in Horford’s absence and had two points with three rebounds in 13 minutes.
Horford played 34 minutes in Boston’s 111-104 triumph over the Miami Heat on Friday night.
Orlando was without second-year guard Jalen Suggs, who sprained an ankle in the third quarter of Friday night’s 108-98 loss to the Atlanta Hawks. Suggs had an MRI on Saturday, and the Magic will be out indefinitely.
Suggs, who was selected fifth overall in the 2021 draft, scored 21 points on 8-of-11 shooting (four 3-pointers) in 25 minutes before he fouled out of Wednesday’s 113-109 loss to the Detroit Pistons. He had three points in 16 minutes before exiting Friday night’s game with the injury.