ORLANDO, FL – The Orlando Magic beat the Boston Celtics 103-102 on a jumper by Jeff Dowtin with .2 seconds left on the clock.
Dowtin, one of the players battling for a roster spot this preseason, was Johnny on the spot then he found him self an opening after the Magic stopped the Celtics with smothering defense on the other end of the floor.
“He’s put in so much work. He hasn’t seen a lot of minutes.” Said Magic head Coach Jamal Mosely “You give hats off to guys like that. He out in work every day. I’m excited for him and that locker room are excited for him as well.”
The team trailed the Celtics for most of the game, but this team has no quit in it.
“That’s who we are, we’re gonna be resilient, we’re gonna fight until the final buzzer goes off” Said Mosely
RJ Hampton stepped up his play tonight and was a driving force in the final quarter. Hampton finished the game with 20 points, and 8 rebounds, pressuring the Boston defense with drives inside for dunks and dishes, as well as hitting two key 3-pint shots in the forth.
Wendell Carter jr finished with 13 points and 9 rebounds for a solid night.
The Magic ended up shooting 46% for the game, while holding the Celtics to 102 points and 42% shooting.
Though the Celtics didn’t play it’s biggest stars Jalen Brown, Marcus Smart, or Jason Tatum, Jabari Parker did see time in the game as well as Robert Williams, who both did some damage, but were ineffective against Orlando’s zone and pressure defenses late in the game.
Mo Bamba continued to impress with a stronger motor tonight, battling g with Enes Katner for rebounds and on defense.
The Celtics made push inside of the 5 minute mark when Sam Hauser hit a 3-point shot followed by a Garrison Matthews hit 3-point play, and Theo Pinson adding two to the stretch that put Boston up by seven with 4:51 left.
Orlando battled back to set up the final shot for Dowtin, with clutch shots from Cole Anthony, Hassani Gravett and even Robin Lopez battling inside for balls and propping a hook shot to keep things interesting.
The Magic begin their season on Wednesday October 20th in San Antonio vs the Spurs, then their home opener on Friday October 22nd against the New York Knocks.
