4 takeaways as Boston Celtics beat Magic in Game 4 in close finish

ORLANDO — The Celtics met plenty of resistance from the young Magic, but the reigning champions showed their mettle in a close finish. The C’s beat the Magic 107-98 in Game 4 of the first-round series Sunday at the Kia Center. With the victory, the Celtics took a commanding 3-1 lead as the series shifts back to Boston for Game 5.

While the Magic started hot and the Celtics missed their first seven 3-pointers, the visitors were the ones in front early. The C’s clamped down as they allowed just 19 points to the Magic in the first quarter. That allowed them to stay in front at the break even though the Celtics scored just 22 points in the second quarter, plus giving up seven turnovers.

There were times when the Celtics looked like they were going to put the Magic away. But to their credit, the Magic kept hanging in there throughout much of the second half. It wasn’t a classic game where the teams exchanged blows and featured multiple lead changes, but the Magic just refused to let the Celtics put them away.

The Magic faithful was buzzing when the home team tied it at 91 with a little more than four minutes to play. But the C’s finished the game on a 16-7 run as they made more shots than the Magic down the stretch. That ended up being a key difference as the champs snatched the victory away Sunday.

Jayson Tatum had 35 points and 14 rebounds to lead the Celtics. Kristaps Porzingis finally made some shots as he had 19 points while Jaylen Brown added 21 points and 10 rebounds. Paolo Banchero had 31 points, though he shot 12-for-32 from the field. Franz Wagner also had 24 points on 10-for-22 shooting.

The Celtics and Magic face off for Game 5 at 8:30 p.m. Tuesday at TD Garden. Here are four takeaways from Boston’s win over Orlando:

Clutch time: The Celtics had miscues down the stretch of their Game 3 loss, so they had a chance to avenge some of that Sunday. There were differences, like Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla checking Porzingis back into the game with four minutes left even though he had five fouls. That wasn’t the case in a similar situation down the stretch with Jaylen Brown in Game 3, when he missed a huge chunk of clutch time with five fouls. Elsewhere, the Celtics had enough shots to finish out the victory. On the flip side, the Magic couldn’t generate enough offense to hang for the finish.

Wrist update: Tatum wasn’t even on the injury report heading into Game 4 with the bone bruise in his right wrist. So it appears that, while he still has to wear some protection, he’s just fine to play through the injury. Tatum had another big scoring night as he finished with 35 points, 14 rebounds and three assists, shooting 10-for-25 from the field. Tatum looked like he tweaked his right wrist after a foul in the fourth quarter. But then he went on to make both free throws and a 3-pointer the next couple possessions, so turns out he’s doing just fine. His night was also helped by a 14-for-14 showing at the free throw line.

Mixed bag: It was clear heading into Game 4 that, at some point, the Celtics needed Porzingis to step up. The big man had some nice moments, including hitting his first 3-pointers of the series. The C’s got him going early with three dunks on the roll. It wasn’t all perfect but Porzingis finished shooting 7-for-14 from the field and 2-for-4 on 3-pointers. Porzingis battled foul trouble as he didn’t start the second half due to already having three fouls. So even though he had a nice scoring night, the foul trouble limited him actually being on the court as he only played 22 minutes. There were also moments when he couldn’t finish against the mismatch in the post.

Back to the Garden: The Celtics have a shot to dispatch the Magic in a quick series after Sunday’s crucial Game 4 win on the road. This Orlando team hadn’t dropped a game at home in the playoffs over the past two years. The C’s will have to get it done in Game 5 at home, but they at least put themselves in a potentially comfortable position. The Knicks beat the Pistons in Game 4 to take the 3-1 lead in their own first-round series. If New York dispatches Detroit in Game 5, set for Tuesday, that means the Knicks get a decent amount of time to rest up ahead of the second round. Jalen Brunson has been a bit banged up, so every day counts during the playoffs. So it’s important the Celtics don’t drag out any of their series themselves as they eye back-to-back titles.

• Celtics injury report: Jaylen Brown upgraded for Game 4 vs. Magic Sunday
• Boston Celtics look for key starter to step up in Game 4 against Magic
• Some Things I Think I Think: Exactly one month in, Red Sox are a disappointment
• Boston Celtics injury report: 2 starters added for Game 4 vs. Magic Sunday