The Philadelphia 76ers marched into Boston on Tuesday night and walked out with home-court momentum, smacking the Celtics 111-97 at TD Garden to even their first-round series at 1-1. V.J. Edgecombe exploded for 30 points and 10 rebounds while Tyrese Maxey piled on 29 points and nine assists to power the upset.
The Sixers did it by bombing away from deep. Philadelphia went 19-of-39 from 3-point range while Boston sputtered to 13-of-50 from beyond the arc, according to CBS Sports. The visitors shot 47.8% overall and ripped off an 11-0 run late in the fourth quarter to put the game to bed.
Edgecombe And Maxey Carry The Load
Edgecombe briefly left the floor twice but kept coming back for more, finishing with 30 and 10 in a breakout performance, while Maxey carved up Boston’s defense with 29 points and nine dimes, per an AP recap via WPXI. Philadelphia leaned on crisp ball movement and timely defense to compensate for the continued absence of Joel Embiid, who is still sidelined as he recovers from an April appendectomy.
Series Heads Back To South Philly
With the series now tied, Game 3 is set for Friday in Philadelphia, and Game 5, if necessary, is scheduled for Tuesday, April 28, according to ESPN. The Sixers will host at the South Philly arena that has been officially rebranded as Xfinity Mobile Arena, per The Inquirer.
Boston’s Supporting Cast Goes Ice Cold
Jaylen Brown tried to keep Boston afloat with 36 points, and Jayson Tatum nearly posted a triple-double with 19 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists, according to CBS Sports. But the rest of the Celtics could not buy a bucket. As the Boston Herald notes, Derrick White, Payton Pritchard and Sam Hauser combined to shoot just 7-of-28 from the field and 4-of-22 from long range, leaving Boston badly in need of more offensive balance as the matchup shifts to Philadelphia.
