Behind VJ Edgecombe’s 30 points and 10 rebounds, and Tyrese Maxey’s 29 points and nine assists, the Philadelphia 76ers defeated the Boston Celtics 111-97 at TD Garden on Tuesday to tie their first-round series at 1-1.
Game 3 is Friday night in Philadelphia.
The 76ers, who lost by 32 points in Game 1, looked like they would get run out of the building after the Celtics went on a 13-0 run to take a 26-13 lead in the first quarter. However, the 76ers settled down and trailed 28-25 after one quarter.
Edgecome, who made six threes in Game 2 and became the second rookie since Tim Duncan to have 30 points and 10 rebounds, would take over in the second quarter. The 20-year-old would score 16 points in the quarter, and the 76ers would take a 62-54 lead at the break.
Philadelphia would hold the lead through the third, but the Celtics would cut the lead to 91-89 after a Jayson Tatum jumper with 6:35 left. However, Maxey, who made five threes, would make back-to-back threes, and the 76ers would close the game on a 20-8 run to secure the win.
Maxey had 12 points in the fourth, and Edgecombe and Maxey would score 59 of Philly’s 115 points.
The 76ers had five players in double figures, as Paul George had 19 points, Kelly Oubre added 12, and Andre Drummond chipped in with 10 points and eight rebounds off the bench.
For the Celtics, Jaylen Brown had a game-high 36 points, and Tatum added 19. No other player scored in double figures for Boston.
Bottom Line:
It’s a make-or-miss league. In Game 1, the Celtics shot 50% from the floor and made 16 threes. However, in Game 2, they shot 39% from the floor and made 13 threes. Conversely, the 76ers shot 39% from the floor in Game 1 and made only four threes. However, in Game 2, Philly shot 48% from the floor and 49% from three(19/39 3-PT FG).
Philly also got solid production from Justin Edwards and Drummond. Moving forward, Drummond, who got the start over Adem Bona in the second half, must be the starter. The veteran center is playing better than Bona on both ends of the court.
With the win, the 76ers prolong the series, which could put them in a position to get Joel Embiid(Post Appendectomy Surgery Recovery) back at some point.
We can’t expect Boston to shoot this poorly as the series continues, and more than likely, the 76ers don’t shoot 49% from deep in a game moving forward. We’ll see how it plays out, but what we do know is that we now have a series.
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