Sixers steal Game 2
- The Philadelphia 76ers tied their first‑round series 1–1 with a road win over the Boston Celtics. (x.com) - The road victory evened the series after Game 1 and set up a pivotal Game 3 back in Philadelphia. (x.com) - Broadcasters flagged Game 2 as a key watch window amid intense matchups and national TV coverage. (nytimes.com)
Philadelphia answered Boston’s Game 1 rout with a 111-97 win Tuesday night at TD Garden, leveling the first-round series at 1-1. (nba.com) V.J. Edgecombe scored 30 points with 10 rebounds, and Tyrese Maxey added 29 points and nine assists for the 76ers. Philadelphia hit 19 of 39 from 3-point range after making 4 of 23 in Game 1. (nba.com) Boston led 28-25 after one quarter and pushed ahead 26-13 during a first-quarter 16-0 run, but Philadelphia answered with a 10-0 burst and took control in the second. The Celtics cut the deficit to 91-89 early in the fourth before the 76ers closed with an 11-0 run. (nba.com) Jaylen Brown kept Boston afloat with 36 points, and Jayson Tatum finished with 19 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists. Outside Brown and Tatum, no Celtic reached double figures. (nba.com) The split sends the series to Philadelphia for Game 3 on Friday, April 24, with the matchup scheduled for 7 p.m. Eastern on Prime Video. Boston won Game 1, 123-91, on Sunday, April 19. (nba.com; sportingnews.com) Philadelphia did it again without Joel Embiid, who missed Game 2 while continuing a strength-and-conditioning program after an appendectomy on April 9. Edgecombe twice left for treatment after a hard fall and still became the first rookie since Tim Duncan in 1998 to post at least 30 points and 10 rebounds in a playoff game. (espn.com) The series carries extra weight for both teams. Boston entered as the No. 2 seed and is trying to move past last spring’s Eastern Conference semifinal exit, while Philadelphia reached the bracket through the play-in after missing the playoffs last season. (nba.com; businessinsider.com) Game 2 also landed in one of the postseason’s national TV windows, part of a first-round schedule spread across ABC, NBC, Peacock and Prime Video. After one lopsided opener and one road response, the series heads to Philadelphia tied. (sportingnews.com; heavy.com)
