Everything you need to know about the Celtics' 128-101 win over the 76ers with BSJ insight and analysis
Box Score
HEADLINES
Celtics dominate the final three quarters in blowout win: The 76ers looked ready to make life look tough for the Celtics without Gordon Hayward after jumping out to a 14-point lead in the first quarter. Jayson Tatum and the Celtics however answered with a counterpunch that knocked the Sixers out, potentially for good. Boston outscored Philly 71-42 in the middle two quarters on their way to a dominant double-digit win. Tatum led the charge with 33 points and a career-high 8 3-point makes in the win while also adding a team-high 5 assists. Kemba Walker added 22 points and Jaylen Brown 20 points that was too much for the Sixers to handle defensively as they allowed 100 points over the final three quarters. Joel Embiid had a team-high 34 points and 10 rebounds for the Sixers but got little help from his high paid supporting cast as Al Horford and Tobias Harris combined for just 17 points on 6-of-17 shooting from the field. Meanwhile, Boston's no-name bench combined for 41 points despite losing Marcus Smart in the starting five. The win gives the Celtics a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.
Starting lineup change for Sixers doesn’t stop Tatum: The Sixers did their best to slow down the Celtics wing by inserting Matisse Thybulle into the starting lineup in place of Al Horford. The shift resulted in good things early for the Sixers starters with an early lead but Thybulle was not the answer for Tatum over 48 minutes as the third-year forward shook off early foul trouble to erupt for one of the best 3-point shooting nights in postseason history for the Celtics. His eight made 3s were one shy of the franchise career-high (set by Ray Allen in the 2010 NBA Finals). Thybulle ended up being a -30 over his 25 minutes of action while Tatum was a team-best plus-29.
TURNING POINT
The Celtics went on a 34-10 run midway through the first half, erasing an early 14-point lead by the Sixers thanks to the domination of Tatum and the bench unit. Tatum led the way with his scoring but steady defense from the likes of Brad Wanamaker, Romeo Langford and Grant Williams helped to take the Sixers defense out of rhythm. Enes Kanter also used his offensive rebounding ability to provide some timely putback points in this run.
TWO UP
Jayson Tatum: The All-Star continued to have his way with the Sixers after a brief hiccup of foul trouble in the first quarter. He finished with 18 points in the first half and was lights out from 3-point range, knocking down five of his six attempts from deep. He finished with a team-high 33 points, his second straight game with 30+ points.
Kemba Walker in the second quarter: After getting some treatment on his neck in the first quarter, Walker came back into the game in the second quarter and help the Celtics second unit sustain their run. He scored 13 of Boston’s 38 points in the frame, while also snapping out of an 0-of-8 3-point shooting slump during the series with his first make from beyond the arc. He finished the night with 22 points.
TWO DOWN
Daniel Theis: The Sixers have virtually ignored the big man at center so far with Joel Embiid failing to leave the paint on defense and he hasn’t been able to take advantage. He missed his first two shots from the field and was hesitant to take anymore from the top of the key afterwards, failing to make the Sixers pay for the lack of attention they gave him. He ended up playing just six minutes in the first half with the bulk of his minutes going to Enes Kanter and Grant Williams.
Marcus Smart’s shooting: The gritty defender continues to struggle with his shot, going 3-of-11 from the field with most of his makes coming in garbage time. He is shooting just 3-of-16 from the field during this series. The Celtics can survive this slump now but it will become a far bigger problem next round against the Raptors
TOP PLAY
no defense = get fancy ?️ pic.twitter.com/faZB90KciB
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) August 20, 2020
TWO TAKES B-ROBB WILL PROBABLY REGRET LATER
Brad Stevens strikes gold again with bench unit plus Tatum: Some of the best success the Celtics had on the floor this season was with a bunch of role players surrounding Jayson Tatum captaining the offense. That formula paid dividends in Game 2 after the starting unit came out flat. Stevens found the right combination quickly in this one, turning to Grant Williams, Romeo Langford and Enes Kanter for bigger minutes alongside Brad Wanamaker and Tatum. The end result was a game-changing run that allowed Tatum to be at his best while putting a steady group of complementary players around him. Whether it was Kanter cleaning up the offensive glass or the rookies knocking down timely 3s, everyone played their role well and the Sixers had no answer for it. With Hayward out for the foreseeable future, this is going to be a lineup that Stevens leans out to survive stretches of game while Brown/Walker get rest. Tatum has reached a talent level now where the C’s can get away with it.
The Sixers look done: It’s almost like watching the Celtics in the second round last year at this point. The Sixers have their flashes of brilliance but this is a team where the parts just don’t fit. With an All-Star like Ben Simmons out of the fold, there is limited continuity and plenty of quit in this group when the going gets tough. Embiid puts up big numbers but seemingly runs out of gas by the third quarter most nights and there just isn’t enough firepower on the offensive end to carry this group when he doesn’t have anything going. Thybulle moving into the starting lineup was their one big potential counter and they used it in Game 2 with no success. There aren’t a lot of other options now to slow down the Celtics wings and with no real hope of a deep playoff run for this group in the cards with Simmons out, it wouldn’t be surprising to see them throw in the towel quickly in the next two games while facing a 2-0 series deficit.