Celtics Hold Off 76ers For 109-101 Victory In Game 1
By Matthew Geagan, CBS Boston
BOSTON (CBS) -- The Celtics had to hold off a pesky Philadelphia 76ers team Monday night in Game 1 of their opening round playoff series, but ultimately walked away with a 109-101 victory in the NBA bubble in Orlando.
Jayson Tatum scored a postseason career-high 32 points and Jaylen Brown had 29 as Boston held on for the victory, taking a 1-0 series lead. Brown had 15 of his points in the final frame, and finished the night 9-for-16 from the floor.
Tatum hit 10 of his 21 shots on the evening and 10 of his 11 free throws, adding 13 rebounds. Kemba Walker had 19 points in his 34 minutes of action.
Philadelphia always seemed to bounce back whenever Boston went on a run, and they made it a one-possession game when Josh Richardson sank a three with 59 seconds to go. But Tatum was fouled on his ensuing drive to the basket and sank both freebies. All four of his points in the final quarter came at the free throw line.
Boston went on an 11-1 run midway through the final frame, with Brown scoring seven of those points off a made three and four made free throws. A few minutes later, he drained another three after Tatum blocked Richardson to give Boston a 99-91 lead with 4:28 to play.
With Philadelphia's Ben Simmons out for the postseason, Boston made Joel Emiid work throughout the game. The Philly big man finishing with 26 points, going 8-for-15, and 11 rebounds.
The 76ers actually had a lead heading into the fourth quarter, after Boston went scoreless for the final 4:21 of the third. Philadelphia did most of its damage with Embiid on the bench at that point, something the Celtics cannot allow to happen throughout the series. Philly closed the quarter on a 13-0 run.
The Celtics played some solid defense in the first quarter, but had little to show for it after the first 12 minutes. Philadelphia made nine of its first 10 shots, and finished the opening frame 11-for-20 from the floor. Embiid was a perfect five-for-five in the first quarter, scoring 11 points in 10 minutes, and Philadelphia led 26-25.
The Celtics woke up in a big way in the second quarter, hitting 13 of their 26 shots and outscoring Philadelphia 30-23. Tatum had 15 points in the frame and hit just about every kind of shot in his arsenal, hitting six of his 10 shots in the quarter. Boston led by as many as 10 in the quarter, and took a 55-49 lead into the half.
Boston did get hit with some bad news late in the game, as Gordon Hayward limped off the floor after suffering a right ankle sprain. The C's forward is set to undergo an MRI on Monday night, but it did not sound promising.
Game 2 is set for Wednesday night in Orlando.
