The Boston Celtics didn’t exactly play inspiring basketball Sunday night. But at this point, they’ll take what they can get.
The Celtics went back and forth all night with the worst team in the NBA, finally pulling away down the stretch at Wells Fargo Center to earn a 120-105 win over the Philadelphia 76ers that was closer than the final score indicated.
The victory snapped Boston’s four-game losing streak and marked the team’s first win since Jae Crowder went down due to injury.
The Celtics had six players in double figures, as Isaiah Thomas poured in a game-high 26 points, Avery Bradley notched 20, Amir Johnson added a season-high 18 points and eight rebounds and Jared Sullinger racked up 17 points and 13 rebounds.
Carl Landry had an incredible night for Philly, scoring a season-high 24 points on 9-of-17 shooting. The Sixers’ anemic offense topped 100 points despite scoring just 16 in the first quarter.
STARTING FIVE
Isaiah Thomas, Avery Bradley, Evan Turner, Amir Johnson, Jared Sullinger
THE STRUGGLE IS REAL
The Sixers proved why they’ve won just nine games this season with a horrific offensive display in the first quarter.
After knocking down three quick 3-pointers, Philly missed an incredible 17 consecutive shots as Boston went on a 20-2 run. The Sixers’ first 2-point field goal didn’t come until Elton Brand’s layup with 1:26 remaining in the first, as Philly shot 19.2 percent in the quarter.
On the other end, Johnson powered the Celtics with eight points, five rebounds and a block through the first 12 minutes.
BACK AND FORTH
The Sixers figured things out in the second quarter, going on a 10-0 run to pull within four. But they’d get no closer than that, as Boston reeled off an 11-0 run to regain its double-digit lead.
Yet Philly wouldn’t go away thanks to the strong play of Landry, who had a team-high 12 first-half points off the bench. Bradley was the Celtics’ catalyst in the second quarter, drilling two 3-pointers as part of nine points in the frame to help Boston take an 11-point lead into the break.
HANGING AROUND
Once again, the Celtics couldn’t pull away from a pesky Sixers team in the third quarter.
Philly kept things relatively close with the help of some strong play inside (18 points in the paint) and a big quarter from Hollis Thompson, who knocked down all four of his shots for 10 third-quarter points.
Sullinger’s 3-pointer helped stop a 9-2 Sixers run, but a pair of T.J. McConnell buckets brought Boston’s lead down to just six. That’s when Thomas hit a deep 3-pointer at the third-quarter buzzer to give his team a bit of extra breathing room.
GOING THE DISTANCE
The Sixers made one last gasp in the fourth quarter, as a Nerlens Noel floater cut their deficit to just five with 6:50 to play.
But the Celtics found their stroke at just the right time, getting a trio of 3-pointers from Marcus Smart, Thomas and Bradley to go up by 14 and put the game away.
PLAY OF THE NIGHT
Thomas channeled his inner Harlem Globetrotter in the third quarter with this nifty pass to Johnson for the slam:
UP NEXT
The Celtics will return home for a few days before embarking on a four-game road trip. They’ll battle the Orlando Magic on Monday night at TD Garden, then get a rematch with the Toronto Raptors in Boston on Wednesday. Tip-off for Monday’s contest is set for 7:30 p.m. ET.
Thumbnail photo via John Geliebter/USA TODAY Sports Images
