Tatum Went 15-for-17 at the Line, Scored 32 and the Celtics Won Their Fifth Straight, 108-97 in Orlando
Paul George added 17 points, eight assists and six rebounds. The Magic fell to 0-3 at home.
The Celtics won their fifth straight game Sunday night, beating the Orlando Magic 108-97 at Kia Center behind 32 points from Jayson Tatum, according to the Celtics' and AP's game recaps.
The number that jumps out from the box score is the free throws. Tatum went 15-for-17 from the line. That's not a hot shooting night; that's a player attacking the basket and making a team pay for fouling him.
Paul George had 17 points, eight assists and six rebounds, according to the Celtics' recap. The full box score is on NBA.com. The Celtics' official recap called out the defense as the reason they pulled away.
The Magic fell to 0-3 at home, according to AP. Orlando was a playoff team last season and came into this season with high expectations, so losing three straight at home this early will get attention down there.
When a star gets to the line 17 times in a road game, a few things happen. Opposing big men pick up fouls. The clock stops, which kills momentum runs. And points come without the variance of jump shots. On a night when the Celtics didn't need a barrage of threes, Tatum's foul-drawing made the difference in a game that was within reach for Orlando until late.
The Celtics continue their schedule this week. The question for a team riding a streak is whether the defense that showed up in Orlando shows up against teams that can score. Tatum at the line is a reliable weapon. The rest is what decides whether five straight becomes something bigger.
