Mission accomplished for the Celtics who managed to catch up after Game 1 and revive in this series against the Sixers who recorded the return to play of Joel Embiid.
Between the backlash of Game 1 and the announcement of the title of MVP awarded to Joel Embiid, it was in a somewhat bizarre atmosphere that the meeting began, on a false rhythm. Boston looked for itself until the end of the first quarter, when Marcus Smart relaxed everyone by chaining three baskets including a 3-pointer and a half-distance shot at the buzzer of the period (28-22) . The Celtics leader returned the cover at the start of the second quarter while Malcolm Brogdon and Jaylen Brown also began to gain momentum in order to move to +11 in the score (37-26).
Joel Embiid’s impact was especially felt in defense with three counterattacks in the second quarter including a masterful scotch on a dunk attempt by Jaylen Brown. Tatum released for 3 faults, Boston was able to count on the boost of Al Horford, on a counter and a 3-pointer, to continue to widen the gap (50-38) and finally ignite the TD Garden. Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid did what was necessary to close the gap before the break, this time with Tobias Harris responding to Marcus Smart and scoring in the last second of the first half (57-49).
The Unleashed Celtics
The second offensive was finally good for the Celtics, who were able to rely on an unstoppable Jaylen Brown with 9 points in less than five minutes after returning from the locker room to regain a gap. Derrick White then concluded a 12-1 with two baskets in a row to bring the score to 73-55. But the avalanche didn’t stop there as Malcolm Brogdon slammed three 3-point missiles, accompanied by Derrick White and Grant Williams to top it off (92-65)!
Under these conditions, the two coaches were able to quickly open their bench, and Doc Rivers therefore took the opportunity to keep Joel Embiid by his side until the end. Joe Mazzulla, for his part, involved his entire bench in the party, from Payton Pritchard to Luke Kornet and Mike Muscala. Defeated 121-87, however, the Sixers leave Massachusetts with the advantage of the field in the luggage at the end of the first two innings.
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
– The swing in the third quarter. It is an understatement to say that the Sixers drank the cup by conceding a resounding 35 to 16 in 12 minutes after returning from the locker room, during which Jaylen Brown caught fire at the start before being relayed by the Brogdon-White-Williams trio . This is the second worst quarter of the season for the Sixers, limited to 16 units. In addition to having woken up the TD Garden, the Celtics took the opportunity to secure the victory by finding themselves at +27 with 12 minutes remaining.
– The Sixers under everything. Perhaps the return of Joel Embiid took the pressure off his teammates a little, if not a lot. The formation of Doc Rivers in any case showed a face at the antipodes of Game 1, especially during a one-sided third quarter. James Harden didn’t have the same impact in attack, Joel Embiid did what he could, and the deal was complicated by the sad 4/21 from 3-pointers (19% address) after three quarters -time, contrasting with the Celtics’ 15/37 in the same drill at this point in the game.
TOPS/FLOPS
✅ Jaylen Brown. For his exceptional start to the second half which had the merit of launching the premises towards his main highlight to put the Sixers out of harm’s way. Rather very fair for the rest, like when he turned into a passer at the end of the third quarter to finish the job with services for Malcolm Brogdon’s 3-pointers or Derrick White’s lay-up in front of Tyrese Maxey .
✅ Malcolm Brogdon. There are nights like that! And it was one of those nights for Malcolm Brogdon with a nice 6/10 behind the arc for what looks like a true “X-factor” performance for Boston.
✅ ⛔️Jayson Tatum. Not really a bad performance for the leader of the Celtics, but rather a non-match as Jayson Tatum was quickly bothered by faults, conceding his fourth on an involuntary headline which left James Harden on the ground for a long time. His transparent performance, on the other hand, is enough to infuriate Philly who did not know how to take advantage of it. Because there is little chance that JT will repeat this kind of performance.
✅ ⛔️Joel Embiid. After a first quarter where he seemed to test himself, avoiding forcing, Joel Embiid got into the game then passing three blocks and then starting to have impact in attack. Given the turn of the game after the break, he quickly joined the bench. But his return to play has been positive, boding well for the return to Pennsylvania.
⛔️ James Harden. Sparkling in Game 1, James Harden did not find the light on this Game 2, completely missing his match as evidenced by his 2/14 shooting, including 0/6 from afar. To make matters worse, he took a good shot in the nose from Jayson Tatum before also joining the bench at the very end of the third quarter.
THE FOLLOWING
Game 3 in Philadelphia on the night of Friday to Saturday (01:30).
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How to read the stats? Min = Minutes; Shots = Shots made / Shots attempted; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; O = offensive rebound; D= defensive rebound; T = Total Bounces; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost bullets; Ct: Counters; +/- = Point differential when the player is on the field; Points = Points; Eval: player evaluation calculated from positive actions – negative actions.
