BOSTON — Filipino-American guard Ron Harper Jr. erupted for a career-high performance as the Boston Celtics locked up the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference with a 113-108 victory over the Orlando Magic on the final day of the 2025-26 NBA regular season on Sunday (Monday in the Philippines).
Harper delivered 27 points, including three three-pointers, along with seven rebounds, four assists, and three steals in a breakout game that powered a short-handed Celtics squad to a crucial closing win.
Baylor Scheierman also came up big for Boston with a career-best 30 points built on eight triples, while Luka Garza recorded a double-double of 27 points and 12 rebounds. John Tonje chipped in 13 points.
The Celtics secured the victory despite resting several key veterans, including Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Derrick White, Payton Pritchard, Sam Hauser, Neemias Queta, Nikola Vucevic, and rookie standout Hugo Gonzalez.
Orlando, which needed the win to strengthen its playoff bid, was led by Jalen Suggs and Paolo Banchero with 23 points apiece. Franz Wagner added 20 markers, while Anthony Black contributed 13.
With the loss, the Magic failed to clinch an outright playoff berth and will now have to go through the play-in tournament to keep their postseason hopes alive.
Elsewhere, the Toronto Raptors secured a playoff spot in the East after a dominant 136-101 rout of the Brooklyn Nets.
RJ Barrett led the Raptors with 26 points, while Brandon Ingram and Scottie Barnes added 25 and 18, respectively. Jakob Poeltl and Jakobe Walter finished with 11 points each.
Tyson Etienne paced the Nets with 20 points, while E.J. Liddell had 17. Chaney Johnson and Ben Saraf chipped in 16 and 15 points, respectively.
In other results, the Philadelphia 76ers defeated the Milwaukee Bucks, 126-106; the Miami Heat routed the Atlanta Hawks, 143-117; the Detroit Pistons beat the Indiana Pacers, 133-121; and the Cleveland Cavaliers overcame the Washington Wizards, 130-117./PN
