5 things to watch for in Celtics-Magic Game 5

The Celtics' three-day road trip to Orlando for Games 3 & 4 against the Magic resulted in a split, so the Celtics head back home for Game 5 with a 3-1 lead in the series. The Celtics suffered a disappointing 95-93 loss in Game 3 on Friday night, but were able to redeem themselves with a 107-98 victory in Sunday night's Game 4.

The series has been highly entertaining for a first round No. 2 seed vs. No. 7 seed matchup, and there have been a few common trends that have carried over through the four games. The new developments that emerged in the two games in Orlando are also very intriguing.

Who's doing the scoring for either team, the three-point shots, the importance of the third quarter, and the physicality all stand out.

So, again, without further ado, the third edition: Five things to watch for in Celtics vs. Magic Game 5:

Jayson Tatum had a quiet night in Game 1 and suffered a bone bruise in his wrist that caused him to miss Game 2. However, since his return in Game 3, he has been the best player on the court by a decent margin. In Friday night's loss, he nearly singlehandedly willed the Celtics to victory putting up 36 points, four assists, and nine rebounds, along with shooting 40 percent from beyond the arc. He also played over 39 minutes, so it was safe to say he was unfazed by the injury.

He followed that performance up with another stellar showing in Game 4's victory. Tatum played 42 minutes again leading scoring with 37 points, along with 14 rebounds, and three assists.

The last two games for Tatum certainly reminded everyone why he is the face of the Celtics and one of the faces of the league. Also, the rest of the supporting cast for the Celtics in Games 3 & 4 were decent, but they certainly needed their star to perform. It will be imperative that the Celtics close the series out at home in Game 5, meaning Tatum must show up.

Derrick White was the story in Game 1, but since then the story of the series has been a battle of the stars. If Game 5 follows the trend, it will be one by the better of Tatum vs. Paolo Banchero - who is arguably the series MVP - expect a shootout between those two at TD Garden on Tuesday night.

For how deep the Celtics are, they have received very little boost from their supporting cast particularly in Games 3 & 4. Since Game 1, the C's have only played three guys off their bench (Payton Pritchard, Sam Hauser, and Luke Kornet). For the most part, those guys have had a quiet series - particularly Pritchard, who scored only three points in the two games on the road.

Al Horford, who's played starter minutes, has only given the team 21 total points in the series. And even Kristaps Porziņģis has been up-and-down, with a suspect seven-point performance in Game 3.

So, the Celtics would be benefitted from more scoring from everyone on the floor. Granted, each game has been low-scoring, but they're putting a lot of pressure on the stars to show out. As Game 3 showed, even if a guy like Tatum goes off for 30-plus points, it's all meaningless if the rest of the team can't provide any support.

On the other side of the ball, the Magic have a similar issue. They have played many guys off the bench, but their contribution is minimal with the bench guys combining for less than 20 points per game. So, the Magic also had to rely on two guys, Banchero and Franz Wagner, who have both been excellent but have only created one win. The two have combined for 61.2 percent of the Magic's scoring during the series.

In Game 5, it will be interesting to see how the supporting casts for both sides impact the game. Obviously, the stars will be the difference, but if one team can diversify their scoring it may make an unexpected impact.

Neither the Celtics nor the Magic have been particularly impressive shooting the three through the first four games.

The Celtics, who led the NBA in threes attempted per game by averaging 48.2 in the regular season (according to StatMuse), have relied primarily on the two. In fact, their per game average is down to 33 in the series. Their conversion rate from deep is also down - 46-for-132 (34.9 percent) - which is a slight decrease compared to their season 36.8 percent efficiency.

The Magic have also witnessed a decline in both three-point attempts and conversions in the series. They averaged 35.3 attempts per game during the season. In the playoffs, they are averaging 29.5 per game. Orlando's hit rate has also decreased in the series, from 31.8 percent to 33-for-118 (28.0 percent).

So, a drop in production beyond the arc has led to lower scores, and the Celtics' limited three-point shooting has kept the games close. The C's are capable of running away with it by 20-plus point margins if they catch fire from deep, but for the most, part the Magic have mitigated that dominance. When the series returns to Boston on Tuesday, watch to see what role the three-point shot plays.

One way to describe the first four games of this series is a brawl, which was mostly expected considering the Magic's trademark hard-nosed brand of basketball. The question was would the Celtics, who do not usually play an overly physical game, be able to stand up against bully ball?

The Celtics have taken their lumps and a few of their guys have gone down with injuries (Tatum missing Game 2, Porziņģis' forehead gash, and Jrue Holiday missing Game 4). But for the most part, they've held their own and even elevated their own physicality during the series. Outside of Game 1, the Celtics have looked confident playing rough with the Magic (i.e. they've beaten them at their own game).

"I mean, no one's been arrested," Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla said when asked about the physical nature of the series. "As long as we're playing within the rules. You have to win in the trenches, rebounding, turnovers, defending without fouling, all those things go into playing."

It's almost guaranteed that Game 5 will be a battle once again, and it's a relief to know that the Celtics have been able to play outside their normal style when needed, and still win. Now, the one question is: Is the exposure to physical basketball in round one an overall positive or negative?

On one hand, it gets the Celtics prepared for the rest of the playoffs which will presumably be a grind, and fans should want to know their team can handle it. However, the concern is at what cost? As aforementioned the C's have already suffered injuries this series, the Celtics need to ensure they escape round one - assuming they will - prepared for tougher play, rather than limping because they were beat up the whole series. That could be a very fine line.

The Magic have only outscored the Celtics in 5-of-16 quarters played in the series, two of which being the third quarters of Games 3 & 4. The third quarter hasn't necessarily been a deciding factor in each game's results, but when breaking it down one can see it has an interesting impact:

Game 1: The C's outscored the Magic 30-18, which shifted all the momentum to them and contributed to their 17 point victory.

Game 2: The Celtics outscored them 31-24 in the third, which gave them a 10-point lead going into the fourth - they won that game by nine.

Game 3: The Magic came out of the half trailing 59-49, but they were the team that came out hot and outscored Boston 24-11 giving them all the momentum going into the fourth quarter. The Magic went on to win 95-93. The third quarter shifted the tides and gave them enough of a boost to hang on in Game 3.

Game 4: Sunday is somewhat of an outlier in this case study because the Celtics were outscored in the third quarter, but still went on to win the game. Yet, it still had an impact because the Magic - outscoring the Celtics by one in the quarter - kept themselves in striking distance in the third which helped their first quarter comeback. Of course, hindsight is 20/20 they lost in the end, but the third gave them a chance.

With the momentum coming out of the half seemingly having a real impact in the series to this point, it will be interesting to see how Game 5 follows this trend.

Tatum and the Celtics may have had to grind through this series more than they might have expected, but nonetheless, they have put themselves in the position to close the series out at home in Game 5. It's probably fair to assume that Game 5 will be much like the rest, with physicality, each team's stars, the lack of the three-point shot, and the third quarter's momentum guiding the way.

For the Celtics, it's pretty important that they get the job done on Tuesday night. As mentioned above, the longer this series goes on, the more wear it will inflict on their stars. Regardless, Game 5 should be an entertaining matchup from the Garden.

The Celtics will look to close out the Magic in Game 5 at TD Garden on Tuesday, April 29, at 8:30 p.m. Be sure to tune into 98.5 The Sports Hub.

Luke Graham is a digital sports content co-op for 98.5 the Sports Hub. He is currently a sophomore at Northeastern University studying communications and media studies. Read all his articles here, and follow him on X @LukeGraham05.