BOSTON — Trap game? No chance.
The Celtics stayed red-hot Monday night, steamrolling the lowly Philadelphia 76ers 108-89 at TD Garden to claim their fifth consecutive win.
OVER EARLY
Here’s the first quarter, summed up in one video and one photo:
[tweet https://twitter.com/ZackCoxNESN/status/577620870107127809 align=’center’]
So, yeah, things did not go well for the Sixers out of the gate. Avery Bradley and Tyler Zeller each scored 10 points for the Celtics in the opening frame — and missed just one of 10 shots between them — as Boston took its first double-digit lead less than six minutes in.
The C’s also protected the ball well, not committing their first turnover until the 5:31 mark of the second quarter.
AB AND TZ
Bradley and Zeller spearheaded the Boston offense, racking up 20 and 26 points, respectively. Zeller’s point total was a new career high for the big man, and Bradley added 10 rebounds and six assists to finish with his second career double-double.
All five Celtics starters scored in double figures in the game, and new fan favorite Luigi Datome came through with 10 points and three blocks off the bench.
Kelly Olynyk was the only player who really struggled for the Celtics. After two strong shooting nights, he went 0-for-6 from the floor against Philadelphia to finish with just one point.
PLAYOFF IMPLICATIONS
The victory completed a four-game sweep of the season series between the Celtics and Sixers and gave head coach Brad Stevens the first five-game win streak of his NBA career. It also allowed the C’s to pull even with the Indiana Pacers in the race for the Eastern Conference’s final playoff spots after Indiana dropped a 117-98 decision to the Toronto Raptors.
The Charlotte Hornets also lost Monday, and the Miami Heat won, creating a three-way tie for seventh place in the East between the Celtics, Pacers and Heat. Boston sits in ninth by virtue of a tiebreaker.
Up next: The Celtics travel to Oklahoma City on Wednesday to face a Russell Westbrook-led Thunder squad that’s in the midst of its own playoff chase. OKC entered Monday a game up on the New Orleans Pelicans for the eighth and final spot in the West.
Thumbnail photo via Greg M. Cooper/USA TODAY Sports Images
