Celtics burst in 3rd frame, level series to 1-1 against 76ers
The Boston Celtics found life on Wednesday night, responding with that must-win mentality as they take Game 2 against the Philadelphia 76ers, 121-87, to even up their Western Conference Semifinals bout.
Despite Jayson Tatum being foul troubled and having an uncharacteristic offensive play of a passive seven markers, the C’s smacked the 76ers with a victorious 34-point edge. Jaylen Brown led the way with 25 points and four assists in 9-of-17 shooting, while reigning Sixth Man winner Malcolm Brogdon was huge with 23 bench points to go with six huge treys.
Boston shrugged off the return of the LCL-stricken Joel Embiid, who was just recently named as the league MVP for this 2022-23 season. They clamped the superstar big to 15 points and three boards, limiting him to 4-of-9 shooting in nearly 27 minutes of exposure.
James Harden, who erupted for a playoff career-high 45 points in Philly’s tight Game 1 dub, also struggled from the field in courtesy of Brown’s sticky defense, chipping in with just 12 markers in 2-of-14 shooting (0-of-6 threes).
The Celtics pulled away from the 76ers in the third quarter in courtesy of their three-point barrage. With Embiid and Harden cooled off, they closed out the quarter with a 19-5 scoring blitz which was highlighted by three-straight triples en route to a 92-65 card heading to the fourth.
As the series is now tied up at one-all, the second-round set will now shift to Pennsylvania with Game 3 scheduled on Friday within the Wells Fargo Center.
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