Markelle Fultz progresses as Magic travel to Boston for series

Although Markelle Fultz didn’t want to put an exact timeline on his return to the court, the Magic point guard said Thursday he’ll be back sooner rather than later.

Fultz, who’s missed 15 games in a row due to left knee tendinitis, was listed as questionable on Orlando‘s initial injury report for Friday’s game at Boston (Bally Sports Florida, 7:30).

“I’ve been progressing great,” he said Thursday after practice at the AdventHealth Training Center. “Just taking it one day at a time, really just trying to get the best out of each day, push myself to the limits I can go and seeing how my body recovers to everything.

“Everything’s been recovering good, so progress has been going well. I’m just really looking forward to the next steps in this process but just controlling what I can control.”

That process has taken more than a month.

Fultz realized his left knee was swollen after he played 32 minutes in the team’s road loss to the Clippers on Oct. 31. He’d miss the next three games before returning Nov. 9 for a meeting with the Hawks in Mexico City.

That night he played 28 minutes but knew afterwards that if he wanted to handle the pain caused by the tendinitis properly, he’d have to miss time. Fultz hasn’t played since then.

“I didn’t want to go out there and hurt myself or the team so I had to sit down and really let it heal,” he said. “That’s what we’ve been doing.”

The Magic point guard also was making sure that he didn’t tear any ligaments again. The left knee is the same one that he had surgery on to repair a torn ACL eight games into the 2020-21 season.

The distant future is in the back of his mind, too.

“I’m thinking the long game here,” Fultz said. “I don’t want to come back in, play a few games and have to sit back out. When I’m back, I want to stay back for the long run.”

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Thursday was the second day in a row that Fultz and center Wendell Carter Jr., who continues to rehab from a fractured third metacarpal in his left non-shooting hand, were able to join their teammates for portions of practice as they ramp up their workload.

Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said both felt good afterwards. The work included a little bit more contact than Wednesday but there still wasn’t full contact which is typically the precursor to an injured player’s return to game action.

“It’s really important that we just continue to monitor and make sure that we’re not trying to get ahead of ourselves, that we bring them back the right way,” Mosley said.

While Fultz is considered questionable, Carter was already ruled out Thursday.

Joe Ingles, who exited Monday’s win over Cleveland with a sprained left ankle before returning, is good to go. Neither him nor Magic star Paolo Banchero, who also was able to return vs. the Cavaliers after spraining his right ankle, appear on the team’s injury report.

Beyond the continued rehabs of Fultz and Carter, Mosley said the group is in a good space.

It’s a stark difference from last Friday’s home win vs. Detroit when the Magic were without Jalen Suggs and Jonathan Isaac, too.

Getting healthy at the right time could bode well for the Magic, who face the Celtics twice this weekend in Boston. Orlando went 3-1 against the Celtics last season, including 2-0 on the road.

The teams already met once at Amway Center on Nov. 24 when the Magic won 113-96 thanks to a comeback win powered by a key defensive adjustment and exploiting holes in Boston’s coverage.

Mosley went with the 6-10 Isaac against Jayson Tatum, who was successfully attacking guards Anthony Black and Suggs in the low- and mid-post areas, to slow Boston which had a 30-19 lead. Tatum’s first two attempts vs. Isaac were airballs.

The Celtics also were so committed to the ball, especially with Banchero and Franz Wagner initiating, that they were late rotating to Moe Wagner who got downhill unobstructed on rolls off ballscreens or on cuts when slipping them. The 6-11 backup center also scored off putbacks as the Celtics switched guards such as Payton Pritchard, 10 inches shorter, onto him in the low post.

Also in the first meeting, Boston was without guard Jrue Holiday (right ankle sprain) and lost Kristaps Porzingis in the third quarter due to tightness in his left calf. Holiday returned after two games while Porzingis missed four.

Friday’s game against Orlando (16-7) is the second night of a back-to-back for Boston. Porzingis and Jaylen Brown (left ankle sprain) were available Thursday vs. Cleveland. Luke Kornet (left hip/thigh tightness) sat out.

The series features two of the top teams in the East. If the Magic win one, they’d they’d have a tiebreaker edge with the season series complete.

Mosley said his team will have to communicate at a high level inside a rowdy environment such as TD Garden, where the Celtics average 124 points per game.

Strong defense might not be the issue for the Magic on the road. Orlando is top 7 in the league in points allowed at home (6th; 106.9) and away (7th; 111.5).

Its offense is a different story. The Magic shoot 50.2% from the floor (second best) and average 119.8 points (10th) at Amway Center.

On the road, the team’s shooting percentage drops to 44.7% (fifth worst) while its scoring average dips to 106.5 (third worst).

That’s true for most NBA teams, especially role players who to tend to shoot better at home.

Mosley wants to see his defense create offense, which has happened. Regardless of location, Orlando’s average of 19.9 points off turnovers is second best in the league.

“A lot of times on the road, you get away from getting easy baskets,” he said. “We have to focus on getting stops to be able to get out and run.”

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