Celtics bury Magic in second half to clinch first-round playoff series

BOSTON — This Boston Celtics squad is no stranger to closing out an opponent, as it hoped to advance to the conference semifinals for an eighth time in nine years on Tuesday night at TD Garden. With the proper experience needed to clinch a series, some players traded in their flamboyant pregame outfits, commonplace in the NBA, for a simplistic look.

The Celtics wore their funeral clothes.

Jayson Tatum’s trio of successful three-pointers contributed to a 24-4 third-quarter scoring run, more than enough to propel the Celtics to a 120-89 victory over the Magic in Game 5. The win advanced the C's to the Eastern Conference semifinals, creating a buffer between series that is crucial for recovery as a team's postseason run deepens. Multiple Boston starters have either missed games or played through injuries against the ravenous Magic, increasing the need for rest.

A dark-colored theme was present throughout the Celtics’ Game 5 attire, including their black Nike statement jerseys. Even with the proper preparation, the Magic showed the Celtics it was premature to pronounce them dead, keeping the Celtics off the three-point line to lead for most of the first half. Their plan worked until Boston started burying shots from deep.

Boston’s onslaught from behind the arc was unexpected, as it missed all six of its first-half 3-pointers. Shooting from long distance was a struggle against the Magic, whose physical defense was responsible for two of the Celtics’ worst performances from deep this season. After it got over the hump, Boston finished with a 9-of-19 mark from three. The team also fixed its turnover issue, recording nine of its 11 takeaways in the first half.

Tatum’s first three-pointer sparked a 5-of-8 mark for the Celtics from deep in the third quarter, contributing to a 21-point lead that swung the game’s momentum in Boston’s favor. Tatum’s performance ended with a double-double, as he finished with 35 points, eight rebounds and 10 assists.

A large reason for the Magic’s lack of defensive success in the second half was Paolo Banchero picking up three fouls in the opening minutes of the third quarter, sending him to the bench with five fouls. He finished with 19 points, nine rebounds and six assists in 30 minutes. Franz Wagner scored 25 points in 40 minutes.

Driving to the basket helped negate Boston’s lack of scoring from deep in the first half, attacking the rim to finish with 48 paint points. Free throws also helped, nailing 21 of their 24 shots from the charity stripe.

Jaylen Brown, who finished with 23 points on 9-of-18 shooting -- along with Payton Pritchard and Sam Hauser, both of whom scored 10 points each -- were the only Celtics to join Tatum in double-digit point totals.

The Celtics will play the winner of the Knicks and Pistons series, which was extended to a sixth game Tuesday night.