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The Boston Celtics fell to the Philadelphia 76ers Sunday afternoon 116-115 after an epic comeback effort. Boston trailed by as many as 16 late in the third quarter in a game where the Celtics defense largely couldn’t keep up with explosive performances from James Harden and Joel Embiid. Tighter defense saw Boston erase Philly’s lead, but ultimately the Celtics couldn’t secure the win.
Harden had 42 points to go with 8 rebounds and 9 assists, including a massive shot to force overtime and an even bigger one to ice the game for Philly. Embiid was also epically good, contributing 34 points and 13 boards. For Boston, it was Al Horford’s defense and Jayson Tatum’s offense that spurred the would-be comeback, but ultimately the Sixers were just a little bit better.
The Eastern Conference Semifinals are now knotted at two games apiece, with Game 5 slatted for Tuesday night in Boston. For now, here’s what you missed from the Celtics Game 4 overtime loss to the 76ers.
Boston’s offense
Inconsistent offense was a major theme for the Celtics in this game. At times, they were ice cold, evidenced by a 19-point first quarter and a miserable first half by Jayson Tatum. In other stretches, though, Boston looked considerably better and more consistent scoring the ball. When the Celts are humming, Philly’s defense really struggles to keep up.
Six players in green scored in double figures. This helped Boston overcome rather pedestrian performances from Tatum and Jaylen Brown. (Brown was great in the first half, and Tatum really shined down the stretch, but neither played to their potential.)
All told, it was a good not great showing from the Celtics. Shooting 37.7% from 3 is pretty good. Logging 25 assists to just 10 turnovers in an overtime game is pretty good. But none of it is exceptional. And it certainly wasn’t enough to earn in a win, in large part because Boston’s defense was also far from great.
Boston’s defense
Philadelphia’s star players were brilliant in Game 4. Each benefited from plenty of isolation looks, which Boston seemed unwilling to remedy. The Celtics have been weary of double teams in previous…
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Author : Celtics Wire
Publish date : 2023-05-07 22:44:25
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