BSJ Game 3 Report: Celtics 114, Sixers 102 - Tatum, Brown combine for 50, C's regain home court advantage

PHILADELPHIA — Everything you need to know about the Celtics Game 3 win over the Philadelphia 76ers, with BSJ insight and analysis

IN A NUTSHELL

The Celtics came out strong, hitting everything to start the game, but the Sixers were able to hang around and take a brief lead thanks to Boston’s excessive fouling. The Celtics got back out front thanks to some mid-range shooting and good defense to take a 7-point halftime lead. The lead grew to 11 to enter the fourth behind a great stretch from Jaylen Brown and some huge shots from Malcolm Brogdon. The Celtics missed a few chances to put the Sixers away and it looked like the lead was slipping, but huge shots from Brogdon, Al Horford, and a closing burst from Jayson Tatum put Philly away.

Box Score

HEADLINES

Closing time: The Celtics haven't exactly been known for their crunch-time offense lately. It always feels like a late 8-12 point lead is right where the opponent wants the Celtics. And it was starting to look the same in this one. A Tatum missed free throw … A Brown offensive foul … some shots starting to fall for Philadelphia … and suddenly it’s a 5-point game. 

But then Brogdon and Horford hit huge 3-pointers, and Tatum hunted Tobias Harris and tortured him for 7 straight points and suddenly it was a 10-point game again and the Sixers had nothing. 

James Harden had nothing: He did have 11 assists, but he passed up a lot of opportunities to score. So much so, that he was getting booed by the home crowd (I know … I know … hard to believe it happened in Philadelphia, but you’ll have to trust me on that one). There was one play I saw from my perch that looked like a clear layup from Harden that he simply didn’t take. This is the playoff Harden I remember. He’s been so bad in the last two games that I have to remind myself that the 45-point Game 1 actually happened. He has shot 17.9% over his last two games, the lowest back-to-back shooting percentage in consecutive playoff games of his career.

Al Horford, elite shooter: What a wild day it has been since Horford declared himself an elite shooter (which he has been this season). The laugh heard ‘round the world has taken on a life of its own, and I’m not sure that's what lit a fire under Horford coming into the game (he seemed pretty locked in at shootaround), but he drilled 5 of the 7 3-pointers he took. And let me tell you something about Al Horford 3-pointers made in Philadelphia -- the people here [expletive deleted] HATE them. 

TURNING POINT

The Sixers cut the lead to 4, but with about three-and-a-half minutes to go, the Celtics tracked down an offensive rebound, got it to Horford, and he drilled a straightaway 3 to get it to 7. Tatum followed that up with his dagger possessions and the game was basically over. 

FIVE UP

Jayson Tatum: 27 points on 50% shooting. He finished with a team-high 10 rebounds and 5 assists as well. His takeover stretch at the end was very welcome, and was dominant enough for me to feel bad for Harris, who very clearly has no way of stopping Tatum. 

“I think the sweep through foul was great just for his attention to detail in late-game situations,” Joe Mazzula said of Tatum’s aware play to simply draw a foul knowing the Sixers were in the penalty. “He just had a poise about him, got to his spots and made a play. That’s what this is about, is when you get your team in situations you’ve gotta rely on all the guys to make plays. And each guy made plays at different times of the game.”

Jaylen Brown: He carried the Celtics in the middle quarters, scoring 19 of his 23 points in the second and third quarters. He did a little bit of everything as well, grabbing 7 rebounds and dishing 5 assists. 

“It started with Jaylen,” Brogdon said. “Jaylen’s picked up Harden, made it difficult on him the last two games and it's really changed the whole series.” 

Al Horford: The man called himself an elite shooter and he backed it up. I knew it when I saw him this morning that he was going to do something in this game. Sometimes you can just tell. 

“I love when Al shoots the ball and shoots it with confidence and doesn't hesitate,” Mazzulla said. “We need him to be aggressive, confident. He's a huge piece to our team, our locker room, everything. So I think he's getting really good looks and I don't think he's hesitating. That's good.”

Robert Williams: He was part of a monster defensive effort. If the Celtics could have defended without fouling, they could have won by 25. He had 3 blocked shots before leaving with a forearm contusion on a great diving play. He could have returned, but didn’t need to. 

Grant Williams: He was always going to be a big part of this series once Joel Embiid was part of it. He was doing some work on Embiid throughout the game, making him uncomfortable facing the basket on the high post. I’m honestly shocked to see he scored zero points because I thought he was pretty good and an important part of the defense. 

NONE DOWN

Brogdon redeemed himself after a slow start with some clutch shots late. Derrick White did the same with some key late plays. Marcus Smart had a tough overall shooting night but he was great defensively and he did a decent job controlling the game. 

TOP PLAYS

TAKES KARALIS WILL PROBABLY REGRET LATER

- Crunch time was better, and that's encouraging

I swear I thought it was all happening again. All the symptoms were presenting themselves as Boston tried to build on a 13-point lead and close this game out. George Niang was cooking them for a couple of minutes … what was I supposed to think?

This is where their depth is a real asset. Brogdon and Horford hit huge shots and it settled everyone down. Tatum then hit superstar shots without forcing anything. His fadeaway on the left side of the floor was perfectly set up, the 3-pointer was just a killer shot, and the rip-through foul on Harris was just a smart play. 

It’s not changing my mind about anything, but it’s good to see that they had some of this poise in them and that it showed up when it did. 

I’ve been begging the team to run a normal offense late in the game and not just have the ball in Tatum’s hands to milk the clock and panic when the first option is taken away. They still did some of that, but then other guys got their hands on the ball and we actually saw some normal offense. 

- Grant Williams is made of steel

Even knowing that he’s okay, I can’t get that image of his face being smashed into the floor out of my head. Neither can Jaylen Brown.

“When I saw Grant get his head stepped on by a 300-pound individual. To see that live was crazy, seeing that in real time,” Brown said. “It was probably the craziest thing I've seen on a basketball court."

It’s a good thing Embiid recognized something was wrong and seemed to pull back otherwise it might have been worse. After the game, Williams was his normal self talking to reporters and saying he felt fine. 

“Grant is a true professional and to not play a lot last series and to now play a lot more this series, he accepted that challenge and put his life on the line,” Brown said. “You see his head smashed into the court and get back up with a smile on his face -- that's Grant Williams."

- We should clear up the whole “reporter laughing at Al Horford” thing

I just want to be clear again that no one laughed at Horford for saying he was an elite shooter. Horford dropped the line slyly, saying it in a way that made a few people laugh. It’s just that one laugh cut through and Horford seized on the moment to bust balls. 

Next up: Game 4 is Sunday at 3:30 p.m.