Making his second consecutive start in place of injured guard Jrue Holiday, Horford scored just six points in the hard-fought victory but blocked five Orlando shots, his most in a game since January 2024. Two of those came in the fourth quarter as the Celtics turned a 91-91 tie with four minutes remaining into a nine-point win.

The Boston Celtics managed to take a 2-0 series lead over the Orlando Magic despite missing Jayson Tatum due to a wrist injury. Heading into Game 3, they might be dealing with more injuries, with Jrue Holiday and Jaylen Brown both questionable.

UPDATE: Horford will in fact start for the injured Tatum, along with Jrue Holiday, Derrick White, Jaylen Brown and Kristaps Porzingis.