We expected a regular butchery between a Boston team undefeated at TD Garden and “only” without Kristaps Porzingis and a Philadelphia team deprived of Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid (ill) but also Nicolas Batum (finger), without forget Kelly Oubre Jr. It didn't happen!
Until the end, the Sixers posed problems for the leader of the Eastern Conference, led by the Melton-Beverley-Covington trio who knew how to raise their level of play to compete. The Celtics had however done their best to make the match easier, shooting with incredible efficiency behind the arc in the first quarter, at 8/11 in the exercise (44-36)! But Philly, too, was on cloud nine, and responded every time, notably through its Beverley-Melton pair, impressive in skill.
After equalizing at 49-49 on a 3-pointer from De'Anthony Melton, Philadelphia even took the lead, and was up to 7 lengths ahead on a new long shot from Melton then a 2+1 from Tobias Harris (54-61).
Boston had all the trouble in the world to try to regain the upper hand, returning to the locker room at -3 following new outside baskets from Pat Beverley and Marcus Morris (69-72). The struggle continued until the end of the third quarter, with the Sixers holding on against a Jayson Tatum who lost his cool, ending up getting kicked out at the last second of the period (95-97 ).
However, through persistence and “positive” aggressiveness on both sides of the floor, the Celtics forced the decision. With a great Al Horford, decisive in the key moments at the end of the match, like when he shifted Jrue Holiday to 3-points, without forgetting the Pritchard-White-Brown trio who also helped to reverse the trend. We still had to wait for Payton Pritchard's lay-up 18 seconds from the end to take a big blow (123-116). But the main thing is there with a new success for Joe Mazzulla's men (125-119).
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
– The turning point of the match. This night, while the battle raged between the Celtics and a diminished Sixers, it was veteran Al Horford who (once again) lit up the meeting with his aggressiveness and his foresight. While Philly was still leading the dance as money time approached (104-106), the pivot distinguished himself with… two counter shots in quick succession on Tobias Harris which made the TD Garden roar with pleasure. But that's not all ! In the process, “Big Al” found Jrue Holiday in the corner for a 3-pointer which gave the locals the advantage. The Sixers then regained the advantage but the inevitable Al Horford put the Celtics back in the lead…
– Jayson Tatum sent to the locker room. The Boston leader lost his composure at the very end of the third quarter, after a lost ball and an offensive foul called for an involuntary elbow to the face of Robert Covington. The Boston superstar (who had already collected a technical at the start of the match) did not appreciate the whistle from the referee who immediately asked that the action be reviewed, to judge the intention of the fault and the appropriate sanction to be given. Except that JT continued to talk to the referees, until they sent him back to the locker room for a second technical foul.
– Patrick Beverley transfigured. The veteran leader has never scored so low since he arrived in the NBA as at the start of the season. For the occasion, with the absence of Tyrese Maxey, Pat Bev' showed that he still had something up his sleeve! Impressive from start to finish, he missed almost nothing, finishing with 26 points on 10/15 shooting, 8 rebounds and 7 assists in 38 minutes.
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How to read the stats? Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; O = offensive rebound; D=defensive rebound; T = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; +/- = Point differential when the player is on the field; Pts = Points; Eval: player evaluation calculated from positive actions – negative actions.
