Jordan Walsh didn’t think he was getting the ball. When he did, he delivered to help Celtics hold off Magic.

6 comments

  1. From [Globe.com](http://Globe.com)

    By Adam Himmelsbach

    ORLANDO — With the Celtics’ 11-point fourth-quarter lead suddenly down to 2, with the prospect of another discouraging loss mounting, it looked like the Celtics would turn to their All-Star, [Jaylen Brown](https://www.bostonglobe.com/2025/11/08/sports/celtics-jaylen-brown-and-dunking/?p1=Article_Inline_Text_Link), to steady them.

    That’s what [Jordan Walsh](https://www.bostonglobe.com/2025/10/07/sports/jordan-walsh-celtics/?p1=Article_Inline_Text_Link) thought would happen, at least.

    “At first I was thinking, ‘Jaylen is going to shoot this,’ ” he said.

    So he started spying angles to crash for an offensive rebound. Then Brown started slicing toward the rim, and it was time for Walsh to recalculate.

    Brown kicked the ball to Payton Pritchard, a normally reliable shooter who has been inconsistent this season. Pritchard pump-faked, took two dribbles, and fed the ball to Walsh, who had relocated to the right corner.

    The Magic were probably willing to live with this sequence. Walsh is a career 27.8 percent 3-point shooter, and isn’t known for hitting game-clinching shots in tense moments.

    But his confidence has swelled thanks to the opportunities he has received over the past week, particularly in this game, in which he had played the entire fourth quarter and helped stake Boston to the 11-point cushion with his frenetic defense.

    So he caught the ball and calmly drained a 3-pointer with 12.4 seconds left that stretched the lead to 5 and helped Boston escape with a 111-107 win on Sunday night.

    At first he appeared more relieved than thrilled.

    “I was like, ‘Oh, my goodness,’ ” said Walsh, who entered the night with just three 3-pointers all season. “I didn’t even celebrate it or anything. I was just in the moment.”

    When the Magic called timeout, his teammates took care of the excitement on his behalf, swarming and bumping him, aware that a much-needed win was near.

    Walsh’s flurry was just one part of the improbable end for Boston, which also received essential late contributions from rookie spark plug Hugo González and backup center [Luka Garza](https://www.bostonglobe.com/2025/07/14/sports/celtics-summer-league-luka-garza-josh-minott/?p1=Article_Inline_Text_Link), who both received more fourth-quarter playing time than Brown.

    Walsh said that when he was paired with González for a crucial stretch in which the Celtics seized control with a 13-0 run, his message was simple.

    “Let’s just mess this game up, like, for everybody,” Walsh recalled telling González. “So that’s what we did.”

  2. Glad to see Walsh get some run. People have been harsh on him the past few years (he hasn’t shown much in his limited runs) but he’s still 21 and my god his combo of strength and length and quickness make for a great on ball defender. Hope he can build on this

  3. I think people are really looking at Jordan the wrong way in focusing on his offense. The problem has always been his defense. He hasn’t been good yet people only focus on his shooting development. These last 2 games are the first times I’ve seen him actually guard the best player and have them problems. Once he can actually prove that he can defend at a high level, then we should worry about his shooting.

  5. He kept looking like a lost soul on the sidelnes, and I kept wondering how he’d look if he actually got to play. Very glad Mazzula’s giving him a shot and I like what I see.

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