(Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports)
Final: Celtics 117, Sixers 99 - Brown & Tatum combine for 60, C's pull away late
BOSTON CELTICS vs. PHILADELPHIA 76ers
7:30 p.m., TNT
Line: Boston -12.5
INJURIES
Boston: None
Philadelphia: Joel Embiid (OUT, knee), Robert Covington (OUT, knee), KJ Martin (QUESTIONABLE, ankle)
LAST TIME
The first quarter was sloppy (seven turnovers for Boston, 12 combined) and Philly scored 16 of their 36 points in the paint while hitting half their 3-pointers, but Boston shot 70% overall to put up 44 points. The Celtics gave up another 36 points in the second as the turnovers continued to pile up, sending them into half down 72-69. The Celtics finally got some stops but they went cold and continued coughing it up. Then Jayson Tatum picked up his second tech and was thrown out of the game at the end of the third. The defense stepped up some in the fourth, anchored by Al Horford, and they got enough stops, combined with Payton Pritchard's 10 fourth quarter points, to pull away late.
NOTES
- A win gives Boston the tiebreaker over Philadelphia
- The Sixers are 4-7 in February
- There are 6 Celtics among the NBA's top 10 in net rating, including 1. Derrick White (12.5), 2. Payton Pritchard (11.9), 3. Sam Hauser (11.9), 6. Kristaps Porzingis (11.3), 7. Jayson Tatum (11.0). and 10. Al Horford (10.4).
THINGS I’M LOOKING FOR
1. Keep Tobias Harris in his slump: He is mired in a wicked stretch, playing perhaps the worst basketball of his career. His February numbers are awful: 15 ppg on 45.5% shooting, 23.8% from 3, and a -8.4 over eight games. This is not the time to let up and think you can help off him without consequence. It wasn’t that long ago when Harris was being praised for playing some of the best basketball of his life, so let’s not make the mistake of overlooking what he’s capable of doing. Keep him struggling and the Sixers will struggle to score.
2. Big minutes for the stars: With two days off before and after this game, this could be a big-minute game for Boston’s big names. We could see a bunch of Tatum and Jaylen Brown, maybe 40 minutes each, in an effort to bury the Sixers early.
3. Attack the basket: Punish them inside early, draw double teams, and then spray it from there. The Sixers are bad without Embiid right now, with the league’s 23rd-ranked offense and 28th-ranked defense since their MVP went down. That defense can be attacked in the middle and Boston’s defense can force some missed shots, which will translate to slumped shoulders and defensive mistakes. Go on the attack from the start and it will come easy after that.
Follow along with my thoughts as the game goes on. They’ll show up below and in the comments section, so hop in and share your opinion as well.