Boston Celtics Complete 26-Point Comeback Win

Boston Celtics

The Boston Celtics defeated the Philadelphia 76ers 118-110, completing a 26-point comeback. After an awful two-and-a-half quarters, the Celtics stormed back for the win. Jayson Tatum had 35 points taking over down the stretch. Tyrese Maxey scored 34 points. The 76ers were without Joel Embiid, Paul George, Caleb Martin, Eric Gordon, Andre Drummond, and KJ Martin, while the Celtics were missing Payton Pritchard. The Boston Celtics improved to 35-15 and Philadelphia dropped to 19-29.

The 76ers Hot Start

The last time these teams met, the 76ers defeated the Boston Celtics on Christmas Day. Philadelphia jumped out to an early lead. Maxey was firing, and the Celtics’ open shots were not falling. They went on an 18-3 run punctuated with a deep three from Maxey. Boston started the game 1-of-8 from three and could not get a shot to go. The 76ers had a double-digit lead before the Celtics went on an 8-0 run. Philadelphia maintained its lead, ending the quarter strong. At the end of the first quarter, they led 29-21. Maxey had 16 points, and the team shot 55.9% from three.

The Boston Celtics’ shooting struggles continued in the second quarter, as they went on a four-minute scoring drought. Meanwhile, the 76ers’ hot shooting continued. They quickly went back up by double digits and it stayed that way. Philadelphia was playing a zone defense and Boston reacted like it was a foreign language. No one could make a shot and the 76ers lead grew.

The Celtics showed a bit of life, briefly trimming the deficit, but it did not last. Every time they got momentum, someone would chuck up a bad shot or make a sloppy turnover. With another run to end the quarter, Philadelphia led 61-44 at halftime.

A 26-Point Deficit

For the Boston Celtics, this was one of the worst halves of basketball they’d played all season. From a layup to a wide-open three-pointer, they could not make a shot. They shot 33.3% from the field and 26.9% from three. Kristaps Porzingis had 14 points, but no one on the team was shooting well. Meanwhile, the 76ers shot 10-of-19 from three in the first half. Maxey had 23 points. Injured teams have given the Celtics problems all season, from the Clippers to the Pelicans, but this was by far the worst. It was beyond unlucky; they were just bad, and Philadelphia made them pay for it.

In the third quarter, it was more of the same. The Boston Celtics briefly trimmed the deficit before Philadelphia went on a run to push their lead past 20. The 76ers were hitting shots and taking advantage of mistakes, which Boston made plenty of. The defending champions just looked dead.

Lazy defense led to lazy offense and vice versa. They were late on rotations, couldn’t rebound, and couldn’t shoot. Meanwhile, Maxey and the Sixers were feeling it. Guerschon Yabusele and Kelly Oubre were playing well, and their depth stepped up. Through three quarters, the Boston Celtics trailed 94-80.

The Boston Celtics Comeback

The Celtics looked dead in the water, but quietly closed the third quarter on a run. In the fourth, they cut the deficit to 11 before an Oubre and-one. Then, a Tatum three-pointer suddenly made it an eight-point game. A Jaylen Brown to Jrue Holiday alley-oop brought it to six. The Celtics went on a 10-0 run and a Brown fadeaway made it a four-point game. Tatum then drilled back-to-back three-pointers as Boston took the lead. After trailing by as many as 26, the Celtics led 103-100 with 6:20 remaining.

The 76ers brought it back to a one-point game on a Maxey drive and did so again with an Oubre three. The Boston Celtics were up by one with three minutes left. Derrick White then drew a charge and hit a key three-pointer. Tatum made a mid-range shot putting Boston up by five. On the next possession, Holiday made a three-pointer, extending the lead to eight. Holiday followed this by locking up Maxey on defense. The Boston Celtics completed a 26-point comeback to win 118-110.

Final Thoughts

The Boston Celtics improved to 35-15 with the win. It is the first time they’ve won three games in a row since the beginning of January. Tatum took over in the fourth quarter, finishing with 35 points and 11 assists. At one point, Boston went on a 41-10 run between the third and fourth quarters. In the fourth, they outscored Philadelphia 38-16.

The 76ers fell to 19-29 with the loss. Maxey scored 34 points and Yabusele had 21. This was not a game they expected to win with their injuries, but it still stings after they led by 26. Meanwhile, the Boston Celtics are not off scot-free. They play the Cleveland Cavaliers next, and the team that shows up will be unknown. Will they be the sloppy, cold team that went down by 26 or the focused team that came back? Will it be the unfocused Tatum or the Tatum that won the game in the fourth quarter? The comeback was exhilarating, but the Celtics still have things to address despite the win.

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