The Celtics demolished the 76ers 121-87 with a hail of three-pointers to level the conference semi-finals series 1-1 despite Philadelphia being boosted by the return of MVP Joel Embiid.
After a four-point Game 1 defeat where Embiid sat due to a knee injury, Boston returned to home court and blew out the visitors with 20 three-pointers to six.
The Celtics never trailed after the first quarter, leading by eight points at half time before a third-quarter explosion.
Boston ran riot in the third term, outscoring the 76ers 35-16 to lead 92-65 at the final break before cruising to the 34-point victory. It was Philadelphia’s second-lowest score in a quarter all season, while the Celtics had seven assists and no turnovers in that period as three-pointers rained down.
Philadelphia’s 87 points is the fewest Boston has conceded all season, beating the previous low of 92.
The 76ers shot just 6-30 from three-point range (20%), compared to Boston’s 20 of 51 (39.2%).
“For Doc Rivers, it can’t get any lower than this,” one ESPN commentator said.
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The Celtics were led by 25 points for Jaylen Brown on 9-17 shooting including 3-6 three-pointers. He added three rebounds and four assists plus two steals.
Malcolm Brogdon – the NBA’s sixth man of the year after averaging 14.9 points, 4.2 rebounds & 3.7 assists this season – delivered a dominant performance off the bench, with 23 points on 6-10 shooting from three-point range plus six rebounds.
Jayson Tatum played just 19 minutes and notched just seven points on 1-7 shooting, with seven assists and four personal fouls. But his quiet night was offset by the performances of his Boston teammates – and Tatum still finished with a game-high plus-minus of +24. Marcus Smart and Derrick White both had 15 points.
For Philadelphia, no player managed more than Tobias Harris’ 16 points (7-12 shooting with 7 rebounds).
James Harden, fresh off a 45-point game one, managed just 12 points on 2-14 shooting including 0-6 from deep. He did however post 10 rebounds and four assists.
Embiid managed 27 minutes and showed promising signs on his return from a left knee concern, moving well and notching 15 points on 4-9 shooting with three rebounds and an impressive five blocks.
MORE TO COME
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