Celtics vs. Magic schedule, odds, game times, NBA playoff updates, where to watch as Orlando wins Game 3

The Celtics start their title defense with a first-round playoff series against the Magic

The Boston Celtics are back in the NBA playoffs and will try to defend their title in 2025. Up first for the reigning champs is a first-round series against the Orlando Magic and Boston took care of business at home to kick things off by winning Game 1, 103-86, on Sunday and following that up with a 109-100 victory in Game 2 on Wednesday. In Game 3, however, the Magic picked up their first win of the series, 95-93,  to make things interesting.

The Celtics went 61-21 in the regular season, finishing second in the Eastern Conference behind the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Magic, meanwhile, earned the No. 7 seed in the East bracket with their Play-In Tournament win over the Atlanta Hawks. 

The Celtics were dominant as expected in the regular season, and they went 29-6 in their last 35 games. Jayson Tatum appears headed to his fourth consecutive All-NBA First Team selection after scoring 26.8 points per game. The Celtics had five players average at least 14 points per game in the regular season: Tatum, Jayson Brown, Kristaps Porziņģis, Derrick White and Sixth Man of the Year Payton Pritchard. Boston cruised through the East playoffs last season, going a combined 12-2 against the Heat, Cavaliers and Pacers.

The Magic finished 41-41 in an up-and-down regular season. Orlando started the year 15-7 and was six games under .500 as late as March 19, but the team finished by winning nine of its final 12 games. Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner both dealt with injuries along the way, but they were great when they were on the court. Banchero averaged 25.9 points per game in 46 games, while Wagner averaged 24.2 points in 60 appearances.

Celtics vs. Magic schedule (Boston leads, 2-1) 

All times Eastern

Game 1: Celtics 103, Magic 86
Game 2: Celtics 109, Magic 100
Game 3: Magic 95, Celtics 93
Game 4: Sunday, April 27 | Celtics at Magic | 7 p.m., TNT/Max
Game 5: Tuesday, April 29 | Magic at Celtics | Time/TV TBD
*Game 6: Thursday, May 1 | Celtics at Magic | Time/TV TBD
*Game 7: Saturday, May 3 | Magic at Celtics | Time/TV TBD
*if necessary

Celtics vs. Magic odds

Odds via FanDuel

• Series odds: Celtics -30000, Magic +4000
• Game 4 odds: Celtics -7, O/U: 197.5

CBS Sports will have updates and analysis below throughout the Celtics-Magic series.

[Apr 25, 2025 at 10:02 pm ET · James Herbert]

🚨Game 3 final: Magic 95, Celtics 93

The Orlando Magic will not be swept. It wasn't pretty, but they came away with a win in Game 3 of their first-round series against the Boston Celtics on Friday, thanks primarily to their tough, physical defense. 

Orlando shot just 8 for 32 (25%) from 3-point range, but got just enough offense to pull this win out. Franz Wagner scored 10 of his 32 points in the fourth quarter, and he finished with seven rebounds and eight assists, too. 

Paolo Banchero added 29 points on 10-for-25 shooting, plus six boards. Wendell Carter Jr. had 10 points and 12 rebounds, six of them offensive.

It was an atypical shooting night for the Celtics: They shot 9 for 27 (33.3%) from 3-point range. Some of the misses were unlucky, but the Magic's defense was outstanding in terms of limiting their 3s and contesting them.

Jayson Tatum missed Game 2 because of a wrist injury, but didn't appear too bothered by it on Friday. He finished with a game-high 36 points on 10-for-22 shooting. He did have seven turnovers, though, and Jaylen Brown had six turnovers, too.

Game 4 is Sunday in Orlando.

[Apr 25, 2025 at 9:33 pm ET · James Herbert]

Uh-oh, Magic?

With 6:20 left, Orlando has called a timeout following an Al Horford 3 and a Jaylen Brown and-1. The Magic are up 86-80, and coach Jamahl Mosley doesn't want this lead to slip away.

In the second half, the Celtics have shot 7 for 25 from the field and 2 for 12 from deep. They have also turned the ball over nine times since halftime. They should lose this type of game, but they're still very much in it. 

By the way, in the timeout that preceded this one, Horford was "visibly frustrated" and "threw his water bottle," per ESPN's Katie George.

[Apr 25, 2025 at 9:24 pm ET · James Herbert]

Uh-oh, Celtics

The Magic went on an 8-0 run that spanned the end of the third quarter and the beginning of the fourth. With 7:47 left in regulation, they're up 83-74.

Boston has missed its last nine 3-point attempts and is shooting 8 for 24 from deep overall. It has made the same amount of 3s as Orlando has, which is crazy considering these teams' respective styles of play and levels of shooting talent. Uh-oh!

[Apr 25, 2025 at 9:13 pm ET · James Herbert]

End of third quarter: Magic 73, Celtics 70

Well, that was a nightmarish 12 minutes for the Celtics. They were outscored 24-11 in the quarter, and they were on the wrong end of an 18-1 run.

Boston has not had a lower-scoring quarter all season. It had twice as many turnovers (six) as it did made field goals (three). It allowed Orlando to grab six offensive rebounds, too. 

Now let's see if the Magic can keep this going. They've put themselves in good position, but they've still shot just 7 for 26 from 3-point range tonight.

[Apr 25, 2025 at 8:50 pm ET · James Herbert]

A Magical third quarter

Orlando has taken back the lead! It's on a 14-0 run and leading 65-62 with 7:12 remaining in the third. 

Here's Wendell Carter Jr. throwing it down:

Down 2-0, the Magic are trying to extend their season. Let's see how Boston responds. It has missed its last six field goal attempts and it keeps turning the ball over, too.

[Apr 25, 2025 at 8:26 pm ET · James Herbert]

Halftime: Celtics 59, Magic 49

The second quarter did not treat Orlando well. Boston outscored the Magic 32-18 in the period, and it went on a 14-0 run in a stretch that spanned about four-and-a-half minutes.

Jayson Tatum, who was questionable heading into the game, has 21 points (7-12 FG, 3-7 3PT, 4-4 FT), three rebounds, one assist, one steal and four turnovers in 20 minutes. Jaylen Brown added 11 points, Derrick White had 10 and Luke Kornet gave the Celtics great rim protection off the bench.

The Magic got 15 points apiece from Paolo Banchero (6-12 FG, 2-2 3PT, 1-2 FT) and Franz Wagner (6-12 FG, 1-5 3PT, 2-4 FT), but the team shot a collective 5 for 16 from deep.

[Apr 25, 2025 at 8:16 pm ET · James Herbert]

Tatum is heating up

Boston is on an 10-0 run with 3:17 left in the first half. As part of that, Jayson Tatum is on a personal 8-0 run: a pull-up 3, a pull-up 2 and another pull-up 3.

A couple of hours ago, it wasn't clear whether or not Tatum would even play in this game. Now he has 21 points in 16 minutes. Pretty good!

Boston's up 50-44, by the way.

[Apr 25, 2025 at 7:53 pm ET · James Herbert]

End of first quarter: Magic 31, Celtics 27

Orlando has the edge heading into the second quarter, thanks largely to Paolo Banchero, who has 13 points (5-6 FG, 2-2 3PT, 1-2 FT) in 10 minutes. The Magic went on a 12-0 run late in the quarter.

Here's one of Banchero's two 3s: 

Anthony Black came off the bench and did a lot of damage, immediately stealing an inbounds pass, making a layup and then forcing another turnover and drawing a clear path foul:

Black later threw down a nasty alley-oop dunk:

Jayson Tatum was listed as doubtful and then questionable leading into the game, but was upgraded to available before tipoff. He looks good so far -- he played the entire first quarter and scored 13 points (4-7 FG, 1-3 3PT, 4-4 FT). He started things off with a strong drive and a stepback 3, both against big man Wendell Carter Jr. 

The bad news for Boston (besides the fact that Orlando has the lead): Jrue Holiday is out with a right hamstring strain.

[Apr 25, 2025 at 10:19 am ET · Aaron Gray]

Best bets for Friday's Game 3

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Sam Quinn

[Apr 24, 2025 at 6:18 pm ET · Aaron Gray]

Jayson Tatum will play in Friday's Game 3

Jayson Tatum injury update: Celtics star available to play in Game 3 vs. Magic

James Herbert

[Apr 23, 2025 at 9:38 pm ET · Jasmyn Wimbish]

🚨 Game 2 final: Celtics 109, Magic 100

The Magic battled, but the Celtics were able to take a 2-0 series lead without Jayson Tatum

The Boston Celtics will carry a 2-0 series lead into Orlando when they take on the Magic for Game 3 of this series on Friday. 

It was a far better effort in Game 2 from the Magic, who got more help out of their role players to assist Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero, but it wasn't enough to overcome the Celtics, who were without Jayson Tatum due to a wrist injury he suffered in Game 1. Jaylen Brown finished with 36 points, while Kristaps Porzingis tacked on 20 points of his own. Sixth Man of the Year Payton Pritchard added 14 points off the bench, and Derrick White came alive in the fourth quarter to put just enough distance between them and the Magic.

The Magic played excellent defense down the stretch in the fourth quarter, but just couldn't make enough shots on the other end to put a dent in Boston's lead. That's been the tale of this series so far: Orlando plays solid defense but can't make it count on the other end. 

It's an issue that plagued the Magic in the regular season, as they ranked 27th on offense, but employed the second-best defense in the league. The Magic need their role players to step up in Game 3 if they want to make this a competitive series, otherwise they could be looking at a sweep by week's end.

[Apr 23, 2025 at 9:05 pm ET · Jasmyn Wimbish]

Kristaps Porzingis left bloody by Goga Bitadze elbow

Orlando Magic big man Goga Bitadze was given a Flagrant 1 foul after elbowing Kristaps Porzingis in the forehead late in the third quarter. On first watch it didn't look like the officials would upgrade the foul, but upon review, Bitadze flailed his arm back to make contact with Porzingis' head, causing him to hit the ground and bleed almost immediately from his forehead.

Porzingis went straight back to the locker room with blood streaming down his face, then returned shortly after with a big bandage on his forehead to shoot two technical free throws, which he went 1-2 from the line to put his team up 78-66. He then went back to the locker room to receive further medical attention before returning to the floor in the fourth quarter. 

Porzingis received five stitches, according to TNT's Stephanie Ready. 

Getty Images

[Apr 23, 2025 at 8:15 pm ET · Jasmyn Wimbish]

Halftime: Celtics 50, Magic 47

The Magic, trailing the Celtics 0-1 in the series, ended the first half of Game 2 on a 21-12 run and find themselves trailing the defending NBA champions by just three points at halftime. Credit Orlando's defense, which has held the Celtics to just 25% from 3-point range while consistently forcing Boston into tough shots. The Celtics have also just missed some great looks, but the Magic have done a great job of not letting guys get into rhythm easily. The low-scoring affair through two quarters favors the Magic, whose one-two punch of Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner have paced the team so far.

For Boston, Jayson Tatum didn't suit up for the game as he's dealing with a wrist injury, which meant the Celtics would need to find production elsewhere. That's come from Kristaps Porzingis, who has 15 points, and Jaylen Brown, who has 14.

As the second half starts, if Orlando wants to have a chance at evening up this series, they'll need to limit the fouls. 

In the first half, the Celtics attempted 23 free throws, compared to just the 10 Orlando took. That discrepancy was a major difference maker in the first half. 

[Apr 23, 2025 at 6:16 pm ET · Jasmyn Wimbish]

Celtics star Jayson Tatum out for Game 2

The Celtics have listed Tatum out for Game 2 against the Orlando Magic. He was listed as doubtful heading into Wednesday night's contest, and has now been downgraded to out. He was not on the floor for pregame warmups like he typically is, and while coach Joe Mazzulla kept it close to the vest during pregame availability, saying Tatum's still "day-to-day," the latest injury report has him out.

Tatum hurt his wrist in the fourth quarter of Boston's Game 1 win against the Magic on Sunday. He landed awkwardly on it following a drive to the rim that was met by contact with Orlando's Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Wendell Carter Jr. After the fall, Tatum remained in the game, but it was clear as the quarter progressed he was favoring that right wrist.

The All-Star forward said after the game that his wrist was "throbbing for a second,", but then "it kind of went away." He received X-rays on the wrist, and judging by the fact that he wasn't immediately ruled out for Game 2 it suggests that those scans came back clean.

While the Celtics would obviously rather have Tatum out there, sitting him against the Magic is the smart move. The Celtics are coming off a 17-point win in Game 1, and could very well win this series without Tatum. Resting him now to get that wrist fully healthy for a long postseason run is a better plan than risking further injury by putting him out there right now.

With Tatum out, that means Jaylen Brown will be the focus of Boston's offense. He's played that role many times with the Celtics, and his performance on last year's championship squad earned him Finals MVP, so he's certainly prepared to take on that role.

[Apr 23, 2025 at 5:57 pm ET · Sam Cooper]

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Sam Quinn

[Apr 20, 2025 at 6:00 pm ET · Jack Maloney]

🚨 Game 1 Final: Celtics 101, Magic 86

Celtics begin title defense with comfortable win over Magic

The Celtics went into halftime trailing the Magic by one on Sunday afternoon, but dominated the second half to cruise to a 15-point victory in Game 1 and take a 1-0 series lead. 

This game largely played out how most expected it would. The Magic succeeded in making life difficult for the Celtics with their pesky defense, but just didn't have the firepower to seriously threaten the defending champions. Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner combined for 59 points on 24 of 51 from the field, while the rest of the team had 27 points on 10 of 30 shooting. 

Neither Jayson Tatum nor Jaylen Brown were able to get much going against the Magic's defense, but Derrick White picked up the slack with seven 3-pointers and 30 points. The Celtics also got 19 points off the bench from Payton Pritchard, who showed why he's a leading candidate for Sixth Man of the Year. 

Despite the win, it wasn't all good news for the Celtics. Tatum was on the receiving end of a flagrant foul in the fourth quarter which caused him to land awkwardly on his right wrist. He got it taped up and remained in the game, but seemed to be favoring the wrist as the fourth quarter progressed.

That will be something to monitor over the rest of the series and playoffs. 

[Apr 20, 2025 at 4:41 pm ET · Jack Maloney]

Halftime: Magic 49, Celtics 48

The Celtics jumped out to an early 12-point lead, but the Magic have succeeded in dragging them into the mud, and closed the half on an extended 25-12 run to pull ahead at the break. 

Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner have been doing all the damage for the Magic. They've combined for 34 points on 14 of 27 from the field. The rest of the team has 15 points on 6 of 18 shooting. The Magic have also made seven 3-pointers already. They were last in the league in makes per game at 11.2 per game in the regular season. 

Will the Celtics be able to figure out this tough Magic defense in the second half? They'll need much more from Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, who are a combined 6 of 17. 

[Apr 20, 2025 at 4:16 pm ET · Jack Maloney]

Pritchard providing a spark off the bench, leading 3-point attack

Payton Pritchard just drained a pull-up 3-pointer in transition to give the Celtics a 12-point lead -- their biggest of the day. Pritchard has now hit two 3s and is up to a team-high nine points for the day. As a team, the Celtics are 5 of 10 from behind the arc. Their outside shooting is one of their major advantages over the Magic, and is already making a difference.