The Boston Celtics have regained control of their Eastern Conference semifinal series against the tough Philadelphia 76ers.
Jayson Tatum dominated with 27 points and Jaylen Brown added 23 as the Celtics scored a 114-102 Game 3 triumph in front of a capacity crowd of 21,000 at the Wells Fardon Center in downtown Philadelphia.
After losing Game 1, the Celtics are now in the driver’s seat in this best-of-seven series at 2-1.
Although Tatum did most of the heavy-lifting with his scoring that came with 10 rebounds and five assists, it required a team effort for Boston to pull the road win on an emotional night when Sixers star Joel Embidd received the 2023 NBA MVP trophy during a pregame ceremony.
Marcus Smart finished with 15 while Derrick White had 13 and six rebounds. Al Horford chipped in 17 points, including a big 3 at the 3:25 mark of the fourth quarter that gave Boston a comfortable 103-96 cushion.
The Celtics, seeded second overall in the East behind now-eliminated No.1 Milwaukee Bucks, hit 38-of-86 shots (44.2 percent) and 16-of-45 from three-point territory (35.6 percent). Boston also out-rebounded Philadelphia, 45-42.
Embiid, who won a tight MVP race over Giannis Antetokounmpo of Milwaukee and Nikola Jokic of Denver, led the Sixers with 30 points and 13 rebounds.
But it wasn’t enough on a night when James Harden only had 16 points on 3-for-14 shooting. Tyrese Maxey struggled as well, hitting just 4-of-16 from the field for 13 points.
Game 4 returns to the Wells Fargo Center on Sunday (Monday Philippine time).
