Can Jayson Tatum continue his stellar play against a tough Magic defense?

After letting the Bulls take control in the 4th quarter and steal the win on Thursday, the Celtics responded in their revenge game on Saturday night. They led by just 7 heading into the 3rd quarter, but thanks to a huge play by Jayson Tatum, Boston was able to take a game-high 29-point lead in the 4th and ended up winning the game by 25. Tonight face a lousy Orlando team.

The magic will be very short-handed. Their two best players, Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, are both sidelined with torn flanks. Orlando also just lost one of their hottest players, a contender for Sixth Man of the Year, and a former Celtic, Moritz Wagner, to a torn ACL. They could also potentially be without their starting point guard, Jalen Suggs, who has been their engine throughout the season. If he misses the game, Orlando will be without their top four leading scorers, their second highest being Goga Bitadze, who is averaging 9.5 points per game. match.

Will Boston play with its food or will they keep their foot on the gas pedal from the start?

While this isn’t the Celtics team of years past that has consistently played down to their competition, they have had a number of games that surprised them this season and ended up being much closer than they should have been We have seen close games against Washington, Toronto and most recently Chicago. No one expects them to win all 82 games, but their dominance last season set high expectations for smaller teams.

Plays like this can sometimes be seen as trap plays, similar to the shocking loss the Celtics took Lakers last year while they were without LeBron James and Anthony Davis. We’ve also seen Boston drop a game against Atlanta earlier this season while playing without Trae Young. The Magic were without Suggs for their matchup against the Miami Heat on Saturday, and in that game, Cole Anthony exploded to lead the team from a 22-point deficit in the fourth quarter to a 7-point victory, stunning Miami.

One game will never define a season, but tonight’s game against a depleted Magic team could give us a good look at their mindset for this season. Right now, they look like they’re hitting the ground running more than they were last season, but they should still be able to come out and dominate games like tonight’s.

How much of Saturday’s performance will Tatum carry over?

Jayson Tatum went nuclear against the Bulls on Saturday night, putting up 43 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists on an insane 86.4% shooting percentage. However, Chicago is not a team known for its defense, which ranks 24th in the league. The Magic are much tougher and boast the third best defensive rating in the league.

Jonathan Isaac is an underrated wing defender and has given Tatum some problems in the past. His large 6’10 frame combined with his long wingspan and solid defensive instincts make him a tough man to beat. He is currently second on the team in blocks per game. game with 1.4 and averaged 0.7 steals to go along. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is another exceptional defender the Magic brought in this offseason largely for that reason. He is currently second on the team in steals per game with 1.6. Orlando also has a great presence with Goga Bitadze, who currently leads the team in blocks with 1.6 per game. match.

Even without Franz, Mo, Paolo and potentially Suggs, the Magic have a formidable defense. They are extremely active on that end of the court, and will certainly look to limit Tatum as much as possible. We could end up seeing a game where Tatum is pressured to use his playmaking skills more than his scoring ability.

Will the Celtics be able to rediscover their three-point rhythm?

Jayson didn’t get a whole lot of support from beyond the arc on Saturday. Aside from him, the team was a combined 6 for 30 from range, just 20%. Derrick White and Jaylen Brown were a combined 0 for 11. Kristaps Porzingis and Payton Pritchard each knocked down two, and Jrue Holiday and Al Horford both knocked down one apiece, accounting for all 6 of the non-Tatum marks.

Each of the four shot just 33.3% from three. This comes after the team had its second-lowest 3P% of the season against Chicago on Thursday, at just 25%. With Tatum likely to be the focus of the Orlando defense, it becomes even more important for the rest of the Celtics to step up on the offensive end and knock down open shots. That becomes especially true against a top-ranked defense that gives up the fewest threes per game in the league.