No Jayson Tatum, no problem: Celtics down Magic in Game 2

Jaylen Brown picked up the offensive slack for the Boston Celtics in their 109-100 win over the Magic, taking a 2-0 lead in their first-round series. The 2024 Finals MVP finished with 36 points and 10 rebounds, making five of his seven three-point attempts.

Brown accounted for nearly half of Boston's 12 threes and almost exceeded the Magic's total, after a game where it went 7-for-29. Franz Wagner scored 25 points while shooting 9-for-13 on two-pointers  — and 1-for-7 on threes. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope was 0-for-6 from behind the arc and didn't make a shot from the field until there were three minutes left in the final quarter, finishing with three points.

Only Wendell Carter, Jr. (16 points) made it rain from deep, going a perfect 3-for-3 from distance, though his most impressive offensive play saw him getting three points the hard way, scoring through contact for an and-one.

Even the Celtics weren't making their threes, outside of Brown and newly-crowned Sixth Man of the Year Payton Pritchard (14 points), who went 3-for-6. Brown picked up a lot of Tatum's scoring slack, while Kristaps Porzingis and replacement starter Al Horford each grabbed 10 rebounds.

For the Magic this season, poor outside shooting has been a constant theme. They finished dead last in three-pointers, which makes it hard to come back in games. Orlando got to within five points in the fourth quarter thanks to some clutch baskets and dimes from Paolo Banchero, who had 32 points, nine rebounds and seven assists.

But even with Banchero's impressive growth as a passer in his third season, a player can only get assists when his teammates make shots. The Magic missed too many shots, along with a huge opportunity to even the series with Tatum out.