Celtics–76ers Replay

Philadelphia evened the series on April 21, beating Boston 111-97 in Game 2 behind 30 points from V.J. Edgecombe and 29 from Tyrese Maxey. (espn.com) The 76ers made 19 of 39 three-pointers and shot 47.8% overall after hitting just 4 of 23 from deep in Boston’s 123-91 Game 1 win on April 19. Boston shot 39.3% and went 13 of 47 from three in Game 2. (espn.com) Boston opened with a 16-0 run and led 26-13 in the first quarter, but Philadelphia answered with a 10-0 burst and won the second quarter 37-26. The 76ers then used an 11-0 run in the fourth to turn a 91-89 game into a 102-89 cushion. (nba.com) The replay shows the split in how these teams created offense. Philadelphia got repeated pull-up jumpers and drive-and-kick threes from Maxey, Edgecombe and Paul George, while Boston leaned heavily on Jaylen Brown isolation scoring and late-clock creation. (youtube.com) The box score points the same way. Brown scored 36 and assisted on another 12 points, and Jayson Tatum finished with 19 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists, but no other Celtic reached double figures. (nba.com) Philadelphia got star scoring and enough support around it. Maxey had nine assists, Edgecombe hit six threes, and the 76ers scored 16 points off Boston’s 13 turnovers. (espn.com) The series is now 1-1, with Game 3 scheduled for Friday, April 24, in Philadelphia at 7 p.m. Eastern. Through two games, Boston is averaging 110.0 points and Philadelphia 101.0, with Tatum leading Boston at 22.0 points per game and Maxey leading Philadelphia at 25.0. (nba.com) One possession type will be under the microscope in the next swing: whether Boston can get back to the ball movement that fueled Game 1, or whether Philadelphia’s top scorers can keep generating clean shots often enough to control another game. (youtube.com)