For a different team, this game would have gone a lot differently. It would have been easy to let up with how hot the Orlando Magic were to open the afternoon. The Boston Celtics could have rolled over and moved on to Monday -- the second night of a back-to-back.
Instead, they left every ounce of sweat they had on the court. It was the most impressive victory of the season. Boston's shots weren't falling, and it still managed to earn a victory by way of offensive rebounding, forcing turnovers, and persistence.
The Celtics finished the game with a 108-97 win, taking down the Magic. Now, they'll have to pack their bags, fly to Texas, and be ready for the Houston Rockets about 24 hours later.
Up: Hustle
The only reason the Celtics were in this game at all. The Magic were as red-hot as you can get. They shot 6-of-12 from deep in the first quarter, and Boston shot just 1-of-11. Yet the Celtics ended the quarter up 24-23.
That was the story of the night. Orlando made tough shots. Hitting its threes. And the Celtics failing to do so. They had to rely on hustle and grit. So, that's exactly what they did. Even when the Magic's shooting eventually cooled off, the Celtics' didn't exactly pick up.
Boston's offensive rebounding carried them throughout the night. Though Orlando made some end-of-the-shot-clock buckets, the Celtics' defense was as active and in sync as ever.
The Celtics were forcing turnovers, running in transition, and forcing their way to the free-throw line. If they made their threes, they likely would have been up by 20-plus. Boston's performance was a testament to its heart.
Down: Shot-making
On the flip side, the reason the Celtics had to rely on their hustle was that they couldn't make a shot. It was brutal. And it's the type of game Boston has to prepare for.
Games like this are inevitable. Shots are going to stop falling. The well is going to run dry. That's just the nature of basketball. Sunday afternoon was one of those days.
Even after a perfect hustle play, a forced turnover, and a beautiful run in transition -- the exact type of situation when a team deserves a make; when the basketball gods usually reward a team -- Boston couldn't make a bucket.
Up: Jayson Tatum's aggressiveness
Another example of the new version of Jayson Tatum lifting Boston forward. It wasn't an efficient night. Tatum's shot-making, like the rest of the team, wasn't where it needed to be. But that didn't slow him down.
This has been the season of free throws for Tatum. And it's exactly what the Celtics need. If the shots aren't falling? Tatum can get downhill at will and earn himself some shots at the charity stripe.
Tatum flashed some craftiness on Sunday, too. He drew three fouls on 3-point shots. He read the defense, knew the defender was out of control, rose up, and earned himself a trip to the line to shoot three.
Not only did Tatum's aggressiveness help keep Boston alive in the scoring column, but it also slowed the game down. So, when the Magic were making a run, Tatum shut it down by getting to the line.
He ended the night with 32 points, four rebounds, seven assists, and two blocks while shooting 8-of-19 from the field, 1-of-5 from deep, and an absurd 15-of-17 from the free-throw line.
Down: Ending possessions
The Celtics' defense actually looked great on Sunday. They flew around like madmen, making life hard on the Magic. But Orlando made some big-time shots in the dying moments of the shot clock.
After playing 20 seconds of perfect defense, someone would slip open. Or someone like Tristan Da Silva would just hit a contested shot. It was deflating.
It's exactly why the process is often more important than the result. Boston's defense was solid, but the ends of possessions just needed to be cleaned up a little.
Sometimes, it was the Celtics' fault. Other times, it was unlucky. Regardless, Boston's end-of-possession defense fell just short at times.
Up: Luka Garza
No Mitchell Robinson, no problem. Luka Garza stepped into a much larger role off the bench, and it went extremely well. As soon as Garza stepped onto the court, the energy picked up.
Garza's screening is constantly overlooked. He's one of the best screeners in the league, and it helped get Boston open for some very timely drives to the cup.
Obviously, the offensive rebounding was there, too. He was elite on the glass, as was the rest of the Celtics' roster. But it was more than just the rebounding.
He also helped the offense flow. Whether he was screening and running or keeping the ball moving, Garza played a big-time role in Boston's offense on Sunday afternoon.
Garza ended the game with 12 points, six rebounds (two offensive boards), four assists, and a steal on 4-of-7 shooting from the floor and 2-of-4 shooting from distance.
Down: Leaving the door open
It's really hard to put a game out of reach when the shots aren't falling. That's what Boston experienced on Sunday. Every time it looked like they could get far enough ahead to close it out, the Magic made a big-time shot.
Boston's buckets just weren't going down consistently enough. Whether it was a missed shot or a bad turnover, Boston always just seemed to be one play away from pushing the Magic away before Orlando made something happen.
Bonus
In the first few minutes of the fourth quarter, Tatum got his usual rest. Yet the Celtics managed to keep the Magic at arm's length in those minutes. How? Paul George.
Payton Pritchard had some timely plays, and Garza did, too, but it was George who led the way. He was one of the best creators on the court all night, even though he wasn't very efficient. George put up 17 points, six rebounds, eight assists, two steals, and two blocks while shooting 4-of-14 from the field and 3-of-10 from deep range.
Hugo Gonzalez got the start for Jordan Walsh in this game, and he looked alright. He had some good moments and some bad ones. Nothing that made him seem like an obvious starter moving forward. Walsh came in and played some solid minutes as well.
Yet for another game early in the season, Baylor Scheierman earned the most minutes of the bunch. He played well against the Magic. There were some bumps along the way. Some missteps on defense.
But overall, he looked good. He's turning into a pretty reliable bench piece for the Celtics. Don't be surprised if he earns his chance in the starting lineup at some point this season. Scheierman had 10 points, two rebounds, and one assist against the Magic. He shot 4-of-5 from the field and 2-of-3 from 3-point land.
Neemias Queta started for Robinson, and though there were some shaky moments at times, he looked good. Super active. Constantly hustling. And at the end of the game, his rim protection helped secure the victory. Queta had eight points, nine rebounds, one assist, and two blocks while shooting 4-of-9 from the field.