BOSTON (AP) — As it became evident that All-Star Jayson Tatum would have to sit out Game 2 of the Celtics' first-round playoff series against the Orlando Magic, Jaylen Brown wanted Boston coach Joe Mazzulla to know something.
“He came in saying he was going to do everything it takes to win,” Mazzulla said.
Brown came through on that promise. And his teammates followed his lead.
Brown had 36 points, 10 rebounds and five assists, Kristaps Porzingis returned to the game after getting a bloody gash to the forehead and finished with 20 points, and the Celtics beat the Magic 109-100 on Wednesday night.
Boston took a 2-0 series lead while playing without Tatum, who has a bone bruise in his right wrist and missed a playoff game for the first time in his career.
“Obviously, JT is the offensive leader, and we play off of him,” Brown said. "But any given night I can rise to the occasion.”
Boston led by 15 points in the second half, then held off a late push by Orlando. The Celtics hit 12 3-pointers and went 25 of 33 from the free-throw line. Derrick White and Brown had 17 of Boston's 28 points in the final period; White finished with 17.
“He was leading us on both ends,” Porzingis said of Brown. “He was being JB.”
“You just trust that mindset, really the warrior mentality that he has,” Mazzulla said. “He can take it to another level mentally and physically.”
Paolo Banchero led the Magic with 32 points and nine rebounds. Franz Wagner scored 25 points.
“They came out of the locker room and went on a run. We had trouble coming back from that," Banchero said.
Game 3 is Friday night at Orlando.
Tatum had not missed a playoff game in his eight seasons with Boston. He injured his wrist in Game 1 after landing awkwardly following a flagrant foul by Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.
Clad in street clothes, he joined his team prior to tipoff and sat at the end of the bench.
Mazzulla characterized Tatum’s status as day to day.
Caldwell-Pope was booed nearly every time he touched the ball in the aftermath of his Game 1 foul on Tatum, which the Celtics' Al Horford later characterized as excessive.
Tempers flared between Caldwell-Pope and Horford when their feet got tangled up and and sent both crashing to the floor at the 4:42 mark of the second quarter.
Brown then exchanged words with Caldwell-Pope. Referees reviewed the the play and determined it was a common tripping foul on Caldwell-Pope.
Then, late in the third quarter, Porzingis went to the locker room with a gash to his forehead but returned in time to shoot a pair of free throws after taking an elbow from Goga Bitadze. The play was reviewed and upgraded to a flagrant foul on Bitadze.
During the review, Porzingis emerged to a loud ovation, with dried blood streaking down the back of his head and a bandage on the center of his forehead. He re-entered the game and connected on one of his two free throws before exiting again.
Porzingis returned to the bench area midway through the period and came back into the game with 7:15 left. He said he got five stitches to close the wound.
“I love my WWE moments,” Porzingis said. “We’re not going to get let anybody punk us. We expect teams to do this kind of stuff. ... We’re not surprised. But we’re not going to take it. We’re going to hit them right back.”
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Kyle Hightower, The Associated Press