PHILADELPHIA — Everything you need to know about the Celtics’ 101-98 overtime win over the Sixers in quickie form, with BSJ insight and analysis.
Box Score
HEADLINES
Al Horford takes control in overtime: The All-Star did it all for the Celtics in the extra frame, scoring seven of the team’s 12 points, and delivering superb defense down the stretch on Joel Embiid (0-for-2 from the field in overtime). Horford’s poise helped the Celtics fight back from a 98-94 deficit with under a minute remaining and close the game out with a 7-0 run, capped by the go-ahead layup by Horford on a terrific Brad Stevens ATO (after timeout situation) with 5.5 seconds remaining and a steal after a Sixers timeout second later. The performance overshadowed a terrific night by Jayson Tatum (game-high 24 points) and strong supporting efforts from Terry Rozier (18 points) and Jaylen Brown (16 points) who raised their game in a tough road environment.
Disaster averted at the end of regulation:
The Celtics were poised to win this game in the final seconds of regulation after a Rozier steal produced a go-ahead fast-break layup for Brown with just one second remaining. The Sixers called a play for Marco Belinelli out of the timeout that produced a game-tying jumper from the right corner after Terry Rozier slipped on the pick. The play produced a confetti drop on the floor that delayed the start of overtime after it took several minutes to clean up, but the Celtics took the hit, collected themselves and played a superb overtime period on the road despite falling behind by five points early on.
It’s a wrap?
No team in NBA history has ever come back from a 3-0 series deficit and the Sixers do not look poised to be the first after some crucial missteps through the end of regulation and overtime. Embiid put up monster numbers (22 points, 19 rebounds) but had his worst shooting game of the series (10-of-26 from field). An ugly shooting night (30 percent from 3-point range) prevented the Sixers offense from getting into a strong rhythm all night as well. A pair of crucial turnovers at the end of regulation and overtime effectively put a premature end to the Sixers season.
TURNING POINT
The Celtics closed out the game with a 7-0 run over the final 55 seconds of regulation behind five points from Horford and two points from Tatum. The duo scored all 12 of Boston’s points in the overtime period while the Celtics defense put the clamps on the Sixers down the stretch, by forcing a pair of turnovers and three missed shots.
TWO UP
Tatum:
The rookie was limited by foul trouble in the first half, but he was the best offensive player on the floor for the Celtics all night. Despite being matched up against a plus defender in Robert Covington, the rookie fought through traffic (and plenty of traffic) at the rim and finished extremely well in the restricted area. He scored 13 of his game-high 24 points in the fourth quarter and overtime, delivering his fifth-straight game with 20 or more points in the postseason.
Rozier:
The athletic guard came in with plenty to prove on the road in the postseason after shooting 28 percent from the field during Boston’s first three contests away from the TD Garden. Rozier shook off a couple misses early and put together one of his best road performances of the year, posting 18 points on 7-of-15 shooting. While the long ball wasn’t falling (2-of-8), the point guard was a force inside the arc (5-of-7) making some tough layups around the Sixers bigs.
TWO DOWN
Marcus Smart’s ballhandling:
The point guard played his usual brand of gritty defense and posted a respectable shooting night (4-of-11 FG), which sadly is above-average for him. Still, his team-high five turnovers were largely of the sloppy variety, and cost the C’s some crucial possessions in the second half in which they were trying to add to a slim lead.
Robert Covington:
After a big bounce-back performance in Game 2, Covington’s play took a nosedive yet again in Game 3. He scored just one point in 24 minutes, was 0-of-8 from the field and was repeatedly beaten by Tatum off the dribble. Despite having a reputation of being one of the toughest wing defenders in the East, he isn’t living up to that billing in this series.
TOP PLAY
besides Al's game-winner
TWO TAKES B-ROBB WILL PROBABLY REGRET LATER
The Celtics are road warriors after all:
There were plenty of times in this game that the Celtics could have packed it in, including after a gut-punch jumper by Belinelli at the end of regulation. Still, this group had the second-best road record in the NBA this year and looked sure of themselves all night long. Incredibly, it was their youngest performers that were ready for the biggest moments all night long (Tatum, Brown, Rozier) before Horford shook off a rough game in regulation and brought the C’s home down the stretch. For as bad as it looked in Miami,
Jaylen Brown is himself again:
The shooting guard was on a minutes restriction for the second-straight game, but he went over that, playing 29 minutes into the overtime period. His 16 points and nine rebounds came within the flow of the game, and his outside shooting was crucial (3-of-6) to help keep the Celtics afloat from the perimeter (26 percent from 3-point range). Most importantly, Brown moved without any noticeable limitations. With an Eastern Conference Finals berth likely on the docket sometime next week, Brown did not look like a guy that would be hampered by a hamstring for the remainder of the postseason. That fact in itself increases the odds that the C’s Cinderella story will go further than anyone could have imagined.
