Celtics outlast 76ers, win 109-101 in tough, physical Game 1 battle

The Boston Celtics outlasted the Philadelphia 76ers to take a 1-0 lead in the first round of the 2020 NBA Playoffs with a 109-101 win.

The Boston Celtics didn’t start their series against the Philadelphia 76ers they way they’d hoped, losing the tip and seeing the big man bully his way to the cup, followed by a bucket by forward Tobias Harris to give Philly a quick 4-0 lead.

Jayson Tatum answered back with a mid-range jumper, and the Celtics quickly found their sea legs; Embiid went in for a slam, then Jaylen Brown came back with a trey to put Boston up 7-6.

The two teams traded blows early, as both Brown and Embiid began to heat up. Another Harris jumper tied the game up at 14 with 6:30 left in the game, forcing a Boston timeout.

Neither team could get any separation despite severa lead changes, the 76ers ending the frame up 26-25.

The second quarter began with a floater from Brad Wanamaker, but the two teams continued trading bucket for bucket. A defensive lapse that let Alec Burks get to the cup uncontested forced a timeout from the Celtics, and Tatum would score soon after play resumed.

The game stayed close until turnovers and a Tatum trey put Boston up 41-35 with a seven-point run with just under six minutes to play. The Duke product would stay hot, an and-1 giving Boston a seven-point lead.

A floater from Brown would push the lead to 53-43 in the game’s final minute, but a flurry of offense from Josh Richardson sent the Celtics into the break up 55-49.

Boston came out guns ablaze with Tatum hitting a quick floater, but Richardson came back with a trey. Gordon Hayward and Walker got on the board shortly after to push the lead to 61-52 with 10:30 left in the quarter.

Tatum started cooking yet again, and Brown as well — until a collision with Embiid had him headed to the bench. The Missouri native kept attacking while Brown got treated on the sidelines, putting Boston up 9 with just under seven minutes to play in the penultimate frame.

The Sixers would battle back to within six via Embiid bullying his way to the bucket, but a Hayward 3 kept the Sixers at bay…for a moment. Philly kept their foot on the gas and cut the lead to five on a Burks make with just under 3:30 to go.

A Richardson 3 cut the lead to just 2, and Horford tied it up with two minutes in the quarter. A trip to the line for Burks gave Philly their first lead in some time, and a demonstrative make from Horford gave the 76ers a 79-75 lead going into the final frame.

The fourth quarter started with Embiid draining a 3 to give Philly their biggest lead, that Brown erased with a trey on the next play. Boston came back with Walker getting to the line to cut the lead to 83-81. A 3-pointer from Brown tied it up at 86 with 8:30 to play, and Boston retook the lead with a Marcus Smart trip to the line.

A rare tech by Horford on Brown pushed the lead to four, then went right back to the line for another pair, capping a 9-0 run. Alec Burks would cut the lead to three from the charity stripe with just over five minutes to play, but a Walker jumper and a Brown trey put the Celtics right back up 8.

The UConn product put Boston up 101-91 on the next play, but Hayward appeared to turn his ankle in the backcourt fighting for a rebound. Embiid would cut the lead to six from the line, and Burks to four with a tip-in. Walker got himself to the line, sinking both, but Richardson would cut it to 3 with a trey.

Tatum got to the line as well, converting each for a 105-100 lead, but Burks would do the same, missing one. Philly couldn’t score, and had to foul Walker, who  sunk both, forcing a timeout. Tatum would put the game away at the stripe, the Celtics winning 109-101.

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