BOSTON (AP) — Baylor Scheierman scored a career-high 30 points, Luka Garza added 27, including a key 3-pointer with 31.6 seconds left, and the Boston Celtics’ reserves defeated Orlando 113-108 on Sunday night, sending the Magic into a road play-in tournament game.
Ron Harper Jr. had a career-best 27 points for Boston, and Garza grabbed 12 rebounds.
Paolo Banchero led Orlando with 23 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds, and Jalen Suggs scored 23 points.
The Magic (45-37) had won five straight and seemed ready to lock up a home game as the Eastern Conference’s No. 7 seed before the loss. They entered tied with Toronto for sixth, but fell to eighth and will face Philadelphia.
Boston sat eight of its regular rotation players, including stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
Playing most of the season without Tatum, who was recovering from Achilles tendon surgery, the Celtics (56-26) turned in a better-than-expected season by earning the East’s No. 2 seed.
Wendell Carter Jr’s free throw cut Boston’s lead to 108-105 with 1:37 remaining and Suggs’ right-wing 3 tied it before Garza collected a pass off an in-bounds, turned and hit his 3-pointer.
The Celtics led 101-85 early in the final quarter before the Magic cut the deficit to five points on Banchero’s layup with just under four minutes left.
Mainly behind Harper and Scheierman, Boston’s reserves hung around early, falling behind by double digits midway into the second quarter and then rallying behind a 3-point shooting barrage (9 of 16) in the third quarter to outscore the Magic 42-20 in the period and open a 94-81 lead.
The Celtics hit four 3-pointers in a 1:48 span — two by Scheierman — during a 12-2 spurt that pulled them ahead.
Up next
Magic: Travel to No. 7 Philadelphia for a play-in game.
Celtics: Await their first-round playoff opponent.
AP NBA: https://www.apnews.com/hub/NBA
(Copyright (c) 2026 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
