Beede’s Breakdown: How Magic fell short again at Boston despite Paolo Banchero’s 36

BOSTON — Paolo Banchero shined again for the Magic but his 36-point performance was not enough for Orlando against the Celtics at TD Garden on Sunday afternoon.

Jaylen Brown (31) and Jayson Tatum (23) combined to shoot 9 of 14 from 3-point range as Boston (20-5) clinched the regular-season series against the Magic with its 14th straight win at home.

Orlando (16-9) dropped its second straight game, 114-97, in Boston over the weekend after falling by 17 points as well in the first meeting Friday night.

“They felt exactly what it means to be a high-level basketball team,” Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said about his team Sunday. “By no means it is a moral victory. It is more along the lines of: ‘How do we take the learning from this and get better as we move forward?’ ”

The Magic return to Amway Center on Wednesday (Bally Sports Florida, 7) for an in-state meeting with the Miami Heat before traveling to Milwaukee the following night to start a three-game road trip.

Starting 5

Magic guard Jalen Suggs (left wrist sprain) was upgraded from questionable to available before the game.

He joined rookie Anthony Black, Franz Wagner, Paolo Banchero and Goga Bitadze in Orlando’s starting lineup.

Banchero put together an efficient first quarter, scoring 19 points on 7-of- 9 shooting, including 3 of 4 from 3-point range. The 19 points are a high for any Magic player in any quarter this season.

Beyond Banchero, however, no member of the Magic had more than seven points in the first half. In the second quarter, Orlando settled for 3s, which they missed (2 of 12 in the frame), and let that impact their defense. Boston outscored the Magic 34-19 to lead by 11 at the break.

It was a forgettable afternoon for Wagner, who started 1 of 10 from the floor (0 of 4 from 3) for 4 first-half points. He finished with 8 to go with 8 rebounds and 6 assists.

Suggs (13 points) was the lone other player for Orlando to finish in double digits.

Bitadze picked up 3 fouls in the first half but had 3 blocks and 3 rebounds before the break.

The Magic got within 5 points in the third quarter and 6 in the fourth but both times the Celtics tightened their grip on the game thanks to sharpshooting from Brown and Tatum.

Second Unit

The Magic were without veteran Joe Ingles (left ankle sprain) after he was downgraded from questionable to out before the game.

In his spot, second-year forward Caleb Houstan saw more minutes. A 3-and-D forward, Houstan has been trusted by Mosley multiple times this season in a reserve role.

Houstan joined Cole Anthony, Moe Wagner, Jonathan Isaac and Gary Harris off the bench for Orlando.

Houstan made an immediate impact, hitting his first 3-pointer of the game in the first quarter. He totaled 8 points with 3 rebounds.

Isaac, who also finished with 8 points, sank his first pair of 3s and caused disruptions on defense with a block and a steal.

Anthony and Moe Wagner each scored 6 points but struggled to find their footing on offense. They shot a combined 3-of-11 from the floor.

Rookie Watch

Black had the best plus-minus rating (plus-17) for the Magic. That was because he only played the majority of his time in the first and third quarters when Orlando either led or made a push to come back. He recorded a steal and finished through contact by Brown for a transition layup in the third quarter.

He also hit a corner 3 in the opening frame to total 5 points during 17 minutes of action. He added 3 assists and 2 rebounds.

The Celtics, however, took advantage of his presence on the floor by doubling off him most of the game, which caused problems for Banchero and Franz Wagner offensively when two defenders came their way.

Fellow lottery pick Jett Howard played the final two minutes with the result already decided. He hit his only attempted 3 from the left side in reserve.

Little Details Add Up

The Celtics out-rebounded Orlando 55-43 but both teams finished with 10 offensive rebounds.

The Magic, however, shot 2 of 6 for 11 second-chance points. Boston was better (17 points) on 7-of-12 shooting with second-chance opportunities.

In addition, Boston scored 23 points in transition compared to Orlando’s 14.

These factors decide the result when the Magic face a team such as the Celtics, who have reached the Eastern Conference Finals five times in the last seven seasons.

Email Jason Beede at jbeede@orlandosentinel.com or follow him on X, also known as Twitter, at @therealBeede.