Celtics can close series in Game 5
- The Boston Celtics host the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday, April 28, with a 3-1 first-round lead and a chance to end the series. - Boston won Game 4, 128-96, behind Payton Pritchard’s 32 points and Jayson Tatum’s 30, after taking Game 3 in Philadelphia. - Philadelphia forced Game 2 split, but Boston has won two straight and can advance Tuesday. (nba.com)
Boston can eliminate Philadelphia in Game 5 on Tuesday, April 28, after building a 3-1 lead in the teams’ Eastern Conference first-round series. (nba.com) (espn.com) The game is scheduled for 7 p.m. Eastern at TD Garden in Boston and is listed on ESPN. ESPN’s schedule showed Boston as a 10.5-point favorite Tuesday morning. (nba.com) (espn.com) Boston opened the series with a 123-91 win on April 19, then dropped Game 2 at home, 111-97, as Tyrese Maxey and V.J. Edgecombe combined for 59 points for Philadelphia. (nba.com 1) (nba.com 2) The series turned in Philadelphia. Boston won Game 3, 108-100, on April 24, then took Game 4, 128-96, on April 26 to move one win from the second round. (nba.com 1) (nba.com 2) Game 4 was Boston’s clearest statement. Payton Pritchard scored 32 points off the bench, Jayson Tatum added 30 points and 11 assists, and the Celtics made 24 three-pointers. (nba.com 1) (nba.com 2) Joel Embiid returned in Game 4 after a seven-game absence following an appendectomy, but Boston still finished with a 51-30 rebounding edge. Embiid had 26 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists. (nba.com) (nba.com) Through four games, Boston has averaged 114.0 points to Philadelphia’s 99.5. Jayson Tatum leads the series for Boston at 24.8 points, 9.3 rebounds and 8.5 assists per game, while Maxey leads Philadelphia at 25.8 points and 7.3 assists. (nba.com) If the 76ers win Tuesday, Game 6 is scheduled for Thursday, April 30, in Philadelphia. A Game 7, if needed, would be back in Boston on Saturday, May 2. (nba.com) (espn.com) For Boston, the task is simple now: win at home Tuesday night and the first-round series is over. (nba.com)
