The Boston Celtics beat the Philadelphia 76ers 95-86 to force Game 7.
Boston’s two-big unit starts strong
Williams guarded Tucker and played a roaming role defensively. Tucker made the Celtics pay for that approach with his first shot, drilling a three-pointer from the left corner. However, he opted not to fire soon after on a similar look and the Sixers’ possession ended with Smart ripping the ball from Embiid. Boston started very well, taking a 15-3 lead on a Williams alley-oop slam assisted by Tatum. Outside of Tucker’s three, the Sixers missed their first 10 field goals.
Boston compensated for Tatum’s continued early woes with 11 first-quarter points from Malcolm Brogdon. Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla only used Brogdon and Derrick White off the bench. Danuel House Jr. stayed in the Sixers’ rotation after hisHe tried a step-back, long-range jumper on his first shot and didn’t hit it. On his second shot, House made a simpler catch-and-shoot three.
Embiid’s re-entry in the second did not have a magical impact for the Sixers. After he missed a layup, Boston jetted off in transition and Smart made a long-distance jumper for three of the Celtics’ 16 first-half fast-break points. Though the Sixers have been more diligent about their transition defense habits following a terrible start to the season, it’s still been a vulnerable area at times.
Following a Celtics timeout, Niang stopped Tatum in isolation, which the fans seemed to enjoy at least as much as his jumper. Niang is obviously far from the Sixers’ best defender, but he’s a fiery, competitive personality and has generally performed well enough this postseason on that end to merit minutes. Two free throws by Embiid and two by Harden put the Sixers in front, and it felt like Boston was in serious trouble.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
76ers cruise past Celtics in Boston to take 3-2 series leadJoel Embiid scored 33 points and the 76ers easily took a 3-2 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals, beating the Celtics 115-103.
Read more »
Sixers at Celtics: Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey Star in Fantastic Game 5 WinThe Philadelphia 76ers beat the Boston Celtics 115-103 Tuesday night to take a 3-2 series lead. They have a chance to close the series out and advance to the Easter Conference Finals with a win in Philadelphia on Thursday.
Read more »