Everything you need to know about the Celtics' 109-101 victory over the 76ers with BSJ insight and analysis
Box Score
HEADLINES
Celtics rally for win behind their young stars: Jayson Tatum became the youngest Celtic in franchise history to score 30+ points and grab 10+ rebounds in a playoff game while Jaylen Brown scored 15 of his 29 points in the fourth quarter, helping the C’s rally for a crucial Game 1 victory. Tatum led the way with 32 points and 13 rebounds to go with three blocks, helping take advantage of a Sixers team that didn’t have a good defensive matchup for him on the wing. Brown was the hero late though, helping the C’s rally back from 13-0 Sixers run at the beginning of the fourth quarter despite suffering a right thigh contusion early in the second half after a collision with Joel Embiid.
Embiid had a team-high 26 points and 16 rebounds for the Sixers but the C’s did a nice job slowing him down with double teams, forcing the big man to make five turnovers over his 37 minutes. Kemba Walker chipped in with 19 points and 5 assists, including several big free throws in the fourth quarter to help seal the win.
Hayward suffers sprained right ankle: All eyes after this one will now turn to Gordon Hayward however after the veteran wing suffered a sprained right ankle late in the fourth quarter after turning his ankle on the foot of Daniel Theis while going for a rebound. He walked off the court under his own power but was hesitant to put any pressure on the injury. The good news for Boston is that it isn’t the same ankle that Hayward injured back on opening night in 2017 but he will reportedly undergo an MRI tomorrow and left the arena on crutches and with a walking boot on according to multiple reports. Needless to say, his availability for the next few games in this series is in doubt now pending the results of the MRI.
TURNING POINT
Celtics went on a 7-0 run to help break open a three-point game midway through the fourth quarter with the C’s starting backcourt of Walker/Brown combining for all seven points to push the lead up to 10. That was enough of a cushion for the C’s to hold onto a victory.
TWO UP
Jayson Tatum: The All-Star did most of his work early, scoring 28 points over the first three quarters on his way to a new playoff career-high of 32 points and 13 rebounds, team-highs in both departments. He also added new playoff career highs in blocks (3) and free-throw attempts (11) while leading the Celtics with a +19 in 41 minutes.
Jaylen Brown: The fourth-year swingman was lights out in the fourth quarter scoring 15 of Boston’s 34 points in the frame, including nailing all three of his 3-point field goals. Brown also tied his postseason career highs with 4 assists, 3 steals and five made 3-point FGs on the night.
TWO DOWN
Celtics backup bigs: The center position is the biggest question mark on the C’s roster and that backup bench committee did little to help their case in this one. Enes Kanter and Rob Williams combined for just two points and five fouls in 21 minutes, which led to Brad Stevens turning to Grant Williams for a brief stint midway through the fourth quarter. I’d expect he gets more of a chance in Game 2.
Third quarter play: The Celtics led by as many as eight points midway through the frame but failed to take advantage of a resting Joel Embiid in the final four minutes of the frame as the Sixers took the lead with a 13-0 run, mostly while Jayson Tatum rested. The sloppy play forced the C’s to play catch-up in the fourth quarter and let a shorthanded Philadelphia team gain confidence with their only healthy All-Star
TOP PLAY
THIS MAN IS COOKIN pic.twitter.com/ewDVVvx5u3
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) August 18, 2020
TWO TAKES B-ROBB WILL PROBABLY REGRET LATER
Gordon Hayward’s injury just made this series a lot closer: The veteran wing played 34 minutes in Game 1 before going down with his ankle sprain but the way Brad Stevens spoke about him after the game (lots of swelling) signals that we probably won’t be seeing him for at least a couple games. Losing Hayward doesn’t even things out entirely with the Ben Simmons absence but it puts a hell of a lot more pressure on the Celtics bench to contribute offensively. That entire unit contributed just eight points collectively on 3-of-15 shooting, a far cry from the improved production that we saw during seeding games in Orlando. With Hayward out, more opportunity should arise for Brad Wanamaker as an additional ballhandler while Romeo Langford could get a chance as well if he can prove he can handle the ball well enough with torn wrist ligaments. All of this will put more pressure on the likes of Tatum/Brown/Walker and allow the Sixers defense to key in on those guys more.
Al Horford’s contract looks worse than ever: The power forward spent a ton of time on Brown while playing power forward next to Embiid this evening and it did not go well from the veteran big man. Brown punished Horford from deep and the C’s generally had their way against their former All-Star teammate. Horford ended up with 6 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists but was a team-worst -18 in 31 minutes. Outside of a brief hot stretch in the third quarter with Embiid on the bench, Horford was a non-factor offensively and doesn’t have the quickness to stay with any of the C’s wings. With three years and over $75 million left on his contract and the salary cap expected to stay flat or shrink in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, the Sixers find themselves stuck with one of the worst value contracts in the league right now and a poor fit next to Joel Embiid.
QUOTES OF NOTE
Brad Stevens on Hayward injury: ''Sprained ankle. Don’t know the severity but he’s clearly in pain and it looks like it had some swelling already.''
Kemba Walker on Brown/Tatum: “It’s special. Those two dudes are super special talents. They showed it today. Every big moment, they made big plays. Whenever we needed a big play, they made it. It’s just fun to watch. It’s really fun to be a part of their growth. Hopefully they continue to get better, which they’re doing.”
