Jaylen Brown scored 21 of his career-high 50 points in the fourth quarter and grabbed 11 rebounds to help the Boston Celtics rally past the visiting Orlando Magic for a 116-111 overtime win on Sunday night.
Boston led 110-104 with 1:11 left in the extra period. Orlando closed within 110-109 after a Wendell Carter Jr. free throw with 42.4 seconds on the clock, but Al Horford provided the winning basket on his 3-pointer with 27.4 seconds left.
Dennis Schroder had 21 points and seven assists in his return from the NBA’s COVID-19 health and safety protocol and Marcus Smart added 17 points with seven helpers for the Celtics.
Boston won its second straight game following a 123-108 victory over powerhouse Phoenix on New Year’s Eve. It marked the first time the Celtics won consecutive games since Nov. 28 and Dec. 1.
Terrence Ross had a season-high 33 points off the bench and Gary Harris scored 23 to lead Orlando, which blew a 14-point lead late in the fourth quarter to suffer its fifth consecutive defeat.
Ross suited up for the first time since Dec. 15 versus Atlanta after clearing the COVID protocol along with Magic teammates Mo Bamba, Hassani Gravett and Mychal Mulder.
Carter Jr. contributed 15 points, 16 rebounds and seven assists while Franz Wagner and Tim Frazier added 14 points apiece for Orlando.
Celtics star Jayson Tatum missed his fourth straight game in the COVID protocol. Boston center Robert Williams III (right big toe sprain) was sidelined one game after notching his first career triple-double.
Boston led 45-42 at halftime but fell into a double-digit hole after being outscored 35-20 in the third quarter.
Orlando led 96-82 after Wagner’s layup with 4:20 remaining in the fourth before Boston rallied with a 16-2 surge to tie the game at 98 on Brown’s two-point basket with 37.8 seconds to play.
After a Magic five-second violation, Brown put the Celtics ahead 100-98 with another bucket with 30.9 left before Frazier’s layup re-tied it with 21.8 seconds to go.
Brown missed a 20-foot pull-up jumper just before the buzzer to send the game to OT.
–Field Level Media