Celtics win on offensive rebounds
- Boston beat Philadelphia 128-96 in Game 4 on Sunday, with Payton Pritchard scoring 32 and Jayson Tatum adding 30 and 11 assists. - The Celtics hit a franchise-record 24 three-pointers, won the rebound battle 63-40, and took a 3-1 first-round lead despite Joel Embiid’s return. - Boston now heads to Game 5 in TD Garden on Tuesday with a chance to close the series. (nba.com)
Boston crushed Philadelphia 128-96 in Game 4 on Sunday night and moved within one win of eliminating the 76ers. (espn.com) Payton Pritchard scored 32 points, made six three-pointers, and led a Celtics bench that outscored Philadelphia’s reserves 57-24. Jayson Tatum added 30 points and 11 assists. (espn.com) (nba.com) Boston made a franchise-record 24 three-pointers on 53 attempts in the win. The Celtics also finished plus-23 on the glass, 63-40. (nba.com) (msn.com) That rebounding edge was not new in this series. Two late offensive rebounds by Derrick White in Game 3 helped Boston close a 108-100 win and reclaim home-court advantage on April 24. (celticswire.usatoday.com) (nba.com) After Game 3, coach Joe Mazzulla said the offensive glass is “part of our identity,” not a one-game adjustment. Celtics Wire reported he tied it to Boston’s spacing and shot profile, which create long rebounds and extra-possession chances. (celticswire.usatoday.com) Game 4 showed the same formula at a larger scale. Joel Embiid returned after missing seven games following an April 9 appendectomy and scored 26 points, but Boston controlled the game from the opening quarter. (nba.com) (espn.com) The series has swung sharply since Philadelphia’s Game 2 win in Boston on April 22. The Celtics answered with road wins of eight and 32 points, and the NBA lists Game 5 for Tuesday, April 28, at 7 p.m. Eastern in Boston. (nba.com 1) (nba.com 2) Boston opened this matchup as the No. 2 seed and Philadelphia as the No. 7 seed, but the margin now sits in second-chance plays and three-point volume as much as star power. The Celtics have turned both into control of the series. (nba.com 1) (nba.com 2)
