PHILADELPHIA — About 30 minutes before tip-off, it was revealed that Joel Embiid would make his long-awaited return to the Philadelphia 76ers lineup. But it didn't take long for the Boston Celtics to completely muffle that storyline.
By the end of the first quarter, the Celtics were up 34-18, and the domination only continued from there.
Here are some ups and downs from Boston's Game 4 blowout victory that gave them a 3-1 series lead.
Up: Handling Joel Embiid
For the first time all series, Embiid took the floor for the Philadelphia 76ers. He had been recovering from an appendectomy, and in his first few minutes on the court, he looked impressive.
Embiid bullied his way into the paint, drew free throws, and threw down a monster dunk in transition. But from that point on, the Celtics had his number.
Not only did they deter his ability to get in the paint, but they also attacked him relentlessly on the other end. Boston's offense forced Embiid into every action, and it didn't go well.
Plus, with Embiid hogging a ton of first-half shots, Tyrese Maxey was left out to dry at times. At the end of the first quarter, he only had three points (and he played all 12 minutes).
Down: First-half Jays
Game 4 was, in a way, the opposite of Game 2. At least, it was through the first half. In Boston's loss, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown looked good. They may have been the only positives on the Celtics that night.
Through the first two quarters of Game 4, Tatum and Brown didn't look like themselves.
Tatum, less so. He was still passing the ball well. He dished out some assists, breaking down Philadelphia's pick-and-roll defense, but his shot wasn't falling.
For Brown, it was a fairly messy start to the ball game. Much like he did in a few pockets of Game 3, Brown turned the ball over when he put it on the floor, and his shot was way off. Brown's first shot attempt of the game was an airball.
Needless to say, it wasn't the Tatum and Brown Celtics fans have become accustomed to.
There was some general sloppiness that carried throughout the night, but most of Tatum and Brown's rough play came in the first half.
Up: Payton Pritchard
In the first half of Sunday night's game in Philadelphia, Payton Pritchard put a down payment on Xfinity Mobile Arena. By halftime, he owned the building.
A buzzer-beater to end the first quarter highlighted a barrage of buckets that Pritchard rained down on Philadelphia's defense. He was an absolute blur.
Every time Pritchard made a shot, he was talking. He would talk to the Celtics fans sitting a few rows back. He would talk to the Celtics bench. He would talk into thin air, hoping anyone in the arena would hear him.
It was as if he believed every person in the world was against him, and basketball was his way of proving them wrong.
Down: Neemias Queta's foul trouble
For the fourth straight game, Neemias Queta struggled with foul trouble.
At the beginning of the game, it was Embiid. He put Queta in the post and drew a foul. Then, he got called for a tripping foul as Embiid was driving to the lane.
As the night went on, Queta committed some more of the fouls that plagued him early in his Celtics tenure.
Boston's other bigs have stepped up, but if the Celtics hope to enjoy a deep playoff run, they need Queta to return to regular-season form.
Up: Nikola Vucevic
One of the trendiest social media takes for the past few weeks has been to ask for fewer Nikola Vucevic minutes. At first, there were some legs to that argument.
When Vucevic came back from his broken finger, he wasn't great. It felt like the Celtics were taking a step back, going from Luka Garza minutes to Vucevic minutes. Even in the first couple of playoff games, Vucevic wasn't amazing.
But the noise hasn't quieted down after Games 3 and 4. And that doesn't make any sense.
Vucevic was solid in Game 3, and in Game 4, he was great. His interior defense and offensive output were exactly what Boston needed, especially with Queta in foul trouble.
He wasn't even that efficient in Game 4, but his ability to act as a connector really helped the flow of Boston's offense.
Without him, the Celtics would be in serious trouble. They need all three big-man bodies they have. Without Vucevic, Boston would be in a completely different spot right now.
Up: Baylor Scheierman and Jordan Walsh
When Baylor Scheierman and Jordan Walsh were on the floor, everything changed.
They were crashing almost every chance they got. On one possession, they combined for three offensive boards (two from Walsh, one from Scheierman). Boston didn't end up scoring on that possession, as Vucevic missed two free throws, but the hustle the bench guys showed was emblematic of how they played all night.
Alongside Derrick White, Walsh also played a huge role in shutting down Maxey. Those two completely locked him up. And Scheierman contributed with his all-around offensive game, too.
More ups
Obviously, Walsh and Scheierman spearheaded the charge, but the entire Celtics roster did a great job of crashing the offensive glass.
Sam Hauser helped out. Derrick White crashed hard from the corners. Vucevic battled.
Plus, Boston's defensive rebounding was great, too. The Sixers were almost completely kept off the offensive glass. They didn't have a single offensive board in the first half.
As for Tatum and Brown, though they didn't play super well in the first half, they picked it up in the second half.
Tatum's shot finally started falling, and Brown bullied his way to the free-throw line time and time again. The third quarter was dominated by Boston's superstars.
And in the fourth, Tatum exploded even more. A quick glance at the box score, and Tatum and Brown's Game 4 performances were elite. In reality, their second-half turnaround changed everything.
Boston also did a great job of containing Maxey early, as noted in the discussion of Walsh and White's defense. They also chased Philadelphia's shooters away from the 3-point line at a much better rate than earlier in the series, and Embiid's return probably helped with that, as the Sixers focused on the interior game a bit more.
More downs
Despite hitting an early three, Garza seriously struggled with foul trouble of his own in this game. Even in limited minutes, he picked up five fouls.
It wasn't the best showing for the backup big man, though the Celtics need all three of their centers if they want to make a deep run.
Also worth noting, however small, the Celtics got beaten on a couple of Maxey cuts. Again, it didn't matter in the grand scheme of things, but Philadelphia made the most of those opportunities.