Tatum scored 32 with 15 free throws as the Celtics beat Orlando 108-97

Jayson Tatum scored 32 points, 15 of them from the free throw line, and the Boston Celtics beat the Orlando Magic 108-97 on Sunday.

Paul George added 17 points, and the Celtics improved to 5-1 while dropping Orlando to 2-4 and 0-3 at home.

The quarter scores were tight for three periods: 24-23, 31-27, 22-24 and 31-23.

Boston's fourth quarter was the difference, and it was built on defense rather than shot-making.

The win moved Boston to 5-1 and kept the Celtics among the top teams in the East, while Orlando fell to 2-4 with a third straight home defeat.

Boston's shooting numbers were mediocre, and the free throw line was the difference in a game that stayed within two possessions for most of the night.

The Celtics' 31 free throw attempts were the most they have taken in a game this season, which is the clearest sign of how Orlando chose to defend.

Boston's next three games are against teams with winning records.

Anthony Black and Tristan da Silva each scored 23 points for Orlando, and Franz Wagner had 14 points and a career-high 12 assists.

The Magic erased a 15-point deficit in the third quarter with a 12-0 run and entered the fourth down 77-74.

Early in the fourth, Black completed a three-point play to tie the game at 79 after picking George's pocket on an outlet pass.

On the next possession, Wagner could not convert a layup that would have given Orlando the lead.

Orlando's third quarter was the part that will bother the coaching staff. The Magic were shut out for the first four minutes of the second half and gave away a 15-point swing.

Da Silva kept them in it with three 3-pointers in that stretch, and his five threes were the reason the game was tied again in the fourth.

That miss was the last real chance. Boston got a pair of critical blocks from Neemias Queta in the final two minutes.

George's 3-pointer with 1:32 remaining gave the Celtics an 11-point lead that Orlando could not erase.

The Magic had three of da Silva's five 3-pointers in their comeback, and their shooting cooled at the worst time.

Boston's late-game execution was the difference between a five-point game and an 11-point win.

Queta's two blocks in the last two minutes were the defensive plays Boston needed, and they came against drives that would have cut the lead to one possession.

The Celtics' late-game offense was simple: get the ball to Tatum, force help, and take the free throws that followed.

Tatum's 15 free throws are the part of the line that matters. Boston's offense was not efficient from the field, and it needed the line to stay ahead.

The Celtics shot 24-of-31 from the stripe as a team, and Tatum accounted for nearly half of the attempts.

George's 17 points included the late 3-pointer, and his defense on Black in the final minutes was as important.

This was the kind of road win that a good team collects in November: not pretty, but with the right players making the last four plays.

Tatum's 15 free throws are nearly half of Boston's 31 attempts, which tells you how the Celtics chose to attack Orlando's switching defense.

The Magic fouled because they could not stay in front of him, and Boston converted enough of those trips to keep a cushion.

The free throw margin is repeatable only if Boston keeps attacking the rim, and the Celtics' guard rotation has been doing that all season.

Orlando's home start is now the story of its season. The Magic are 0-3 at home and have lost three of four overall.

The schedule has been difficult, but the pattern is consistent: Orlando plays well enough to stay close and not well enough to close.

Boston, meanwhile, is 5-1 and has won the games it should win, including this one on the second night of a back-to-back.

The Celtics' next game is at home, which should help the rotation.

Orlando's home record is now the most uncomfortable statistic on the team's early-season sheet, and the schedule does not offer an obvious fix.

Boston's start has been steadier than it looks: the Celtics have won the close games and lost only once.

The Magic's next chance to win at home comes later this week, and the opponent is a team with a similar record.

Boston's next test is a better defensive team, which will make the free-throw margin harder to repeat.

For now, the Celtics have a 5-1 record and a win in a building where Orlando has not won.

The Magic have a 2-4 record and a home problem to solve.

The Celtics' next opponent has a top-ten defense, which means the free throw advantage will be harder to replicate.

Orlando's next home game is against a team with a similar record, and it is the best chance to end the home slide.

Orlando's home slide is the story its coaching staff has to solve first.