A timeout by the Philadelphia 76ers midway through the third quarter ignited a mini scoring stretch, cutting the Boston Celtics' advantage from 18 points to 13 and perhaps causing Green Teamers to wonder whether Wednesday's Game 2 might be another example of a blown double-digit lead.
But then the rout was on.
Led by Malcolm Brogdon and a three-point barrage, the Celtics went on a 13-0 scoring run to extend their lead to 86-60 with 1:39 left in the third quarter. Brogdon and Grant Williams then added one more 3-pointer each to give the Celtics to a 92-65 lead entering the fourth quarter -- making for a 19-5 run over the final four minutes of the quarter.
"It really started with our defense," Brogdon told reporters of the third-quarter onslaught after Boston's 121-87 victory at TD Garden, per CLNS Media. "We were able to get stops, get out, shots get easier when you get stops, when you're not getting the ball out of the net over and over. We were getting open shots and we were shooting it with confidence."
The Celtics shot 47% from 3-point range during the third quarter. Brogdon (nine third-quarter points on 3-for-5 from long range) and Derrick White (10 points on 2-for-2) led the way with Jaylen Brown chipping in nine of his game-high 25 points in the frame. Boston played with pace and made the right plays in transition, shooting 50% from the field as it outscored Philadelphia 35-16 in the quarter. The Sixers went 6-for-19 from the field over that 12-minute stretch with three turnovers.
"I thought our defense led to our energetic offense and we did a good job not passing up open (threes) and we still got good looks at the rim," Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla told reporters, per CLNS Media. "And so we have to continue to find that balance, creating 2-on-1s, finding the right time to shoot it. I thought the game was connected. Usually when you shoot open ones you have less tendency to turn it over.
"We just managed the game well," Mazzulla said. "Our defensive presence led to our offense, our good offense led to our defense."
The Celtics tied the best-of-seven at one game apiece. Boston now travels to Philadelphia with Game 3 scheduled for Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET.
