BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – APRIL 20: Payton Pritchard #11 of the Boston Celtics dribbles the ball against the Orlando Magic defense in Game One of the Eastern Conference First Round NBA Playoffs at TD Garden on April 20, 2025 in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
Boston's skies are bright after a Game 1 win. But there's thunder on the horizon ... and it's not coming from OKC. The Boston Celtics continue to deal with injury woes, as the #7-seeded Orlando Magic threaten to put their fullest lineup on the court as soon as tonight. Meanwhile, the Magic are not going down to defeat without ruffling a few Irish feathers.
Things got heated in the fourth quarter of Beantown's otherwise easy playoff debut last weekend. Late in the contest, the Celtics' star point guard, Jayson Tatum, was flagrantly fouled by Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Wendell Carter Jr., causing Tatum to land hard and tumble into the goal support behind the boundary while taking a blow to what appeared to be his left wrist. Tatum stayed in the game, but the Celtics were furious, and the injury report looms large going into Game 2 tonight at 7 p.m. Eastern Time.
Al Horford of Boston nearly started a scrap with both Orlando cagers, complaining to Sports Illustrated after the game, "Yeah, there was something extra. There was a lot. It was the second or third time that ... (Kentavious Caldwell-Pope) went at (Tatum) in that way." But if the Orlando Magic crossed a line in Game 1, it has helped the Las Vegas line on Game 2 stay tighter than the odds on Round 1's other high-versus-low seed matchups.
Spread
- Magic +11 (-115)
- Celtics -10.5 (-110)
Moneyline
- Magic +410
- Celtics -533
Total
- Over 197 (-110)
- Under 197.5 (-110)
*The above data was collected on April 23, 2025, and may have changed since writing.
Orlando Magic vs Boston Celtics Betting Trends
- The Orlando Magic are 12-6 ATS in their last 18 games.
- Orlando is 2-4 ATS in its last six contests against Boston.
- The total has gone under in five of Boston's last seven games.
- The Boston Celtics are 15-2 in the last 17 games.
- Totals have gone under in four of Boston's last five games with Orlando.
Orlando Magic vs Boston Celtics Injury Reports
Orlando Magic
Point guard Jalen Suggs is day-to-day with a left knee trochlea cartilage tear.
Boston Celtics
Small forward Jayson Tatum is day-to-day with a right wrist injury.
Orlando Magic vs Boston Celtics Predictions and Picks
Are the Orlando Magic going haywire trying to upset the Boston Celtics? Maybe the Magic are paying homage to old-school Detroit Pistons hoops instead, just as the 2024-25 Pistons utilize a newer brand of physical play to cause problems for the #3-seeded New York Knicks. Franz Wagner can't simply be used as a weapon at the opposing rim.
Orlando's offense against Boston remains a work in progress. Carter Jr. was foiled on put-back attempts in Game 1 despite hauling in numerous offensive boards in what could have turned into a double-double performance. The Magic squandered a 23-point postseason debut from Wagner and a 36-point double-double from forward Paolo Banchero.
Consider a proposition bet on Orlando to cover tonight's halftime spread. Boston's going to need at least the opening half of Game 2 to figure things out.
