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Celtics’ Jordan Walsh receives new nickname after heroics in win over Magic
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- Celtics’ Jordan Walsh receives new nickname after heroics in win over Magic
The post Celtics' Jordan Walsh receives new nickname after heroics in win over Magic appeared first on ClutchPoints .
Getting NBA minutes has been a battle for Boston Celtics wing Jordan Walsh , but he earned every one of them on Sunday night during a 111-107 road win over the Orlando Magic .
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The third-year Celtic finished with a career-high 26 minutes and received the biggest opportunity of his young career in the process. With the Magic rallying late and the C's clinging to a two-point lead, Celtics point guard Payton Pritchard found Walsh all alone in the corner with 13 seconds remaining.
Walsh buried the open triple and gifted the Celtics a 110-105 lead, essentially icing the back-and-forth game for Boston . Since the 21-year-old has averaged less than 10 minutes per outing while in the Association, Sunday's dagger was arguably his most significant make as a Green Teamer.
Boston's bench dropped a whopping 50 points on Sunday, with six of those coming from Walsh. The Celtics' former second-round pick also recorded six rebounds, four assists, two steals, and zero turnovers in the narrow win.
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Celtics big man Xavier Tillman Sr. was happy to see his teammate shine — so much so that he crashed his postgame interview and bestowed him with a new nickname on the NBC Sports Boston broadcast.
"He's the King of Lockdown," Tillman said with a smile. "He can guard anybody. The bigs, the littles, the wings, it don't matter. Call Jordan, he's your guy."
In November, Walsh has averaged just over 20 minutes, which is easily the most of his career to date. With impressive play on both ends of the floor, the youngster seems to be earning the trust of head coach Joe Mazzulla while filling the void left by rehabbing Celtics star Jayson Tatum .
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Even though Tatum might not return to the lineup this season, he can still be seen on the sidelines cheering Walsh on. Moments like that aren't on the stat sheet, but they mean a lot to Walsh.
"I feel great," Walsh said. "[ Derrick White ] coming to dap me up, JT watching and dapping me up. All that stuff fuels the confidence and the energy that I bring. It makes me want to fight for those guys even more."
Given Walsh's recent hot streak, he should have another chance to fight for Boston on Tuesday when the C's face the rival Philadelphia 76ers on the road. Boston and Philly have already met twice this season, with each squad capturing a win in the other's building. The Celtics will look to continue that trend and get back to .500 for the first time since Halloween.
Related: 3 overreactions to Celtics' middling start to 2025-26 season
