Celtics Wrap: Boston Wrestles Win From Vintage Joel Embiid Performance

The Boston Celtics stole back home-court advantage from the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday night, earning a 114-102 victory at Wells Fargo Center.

The C’s took a 2-1 advantage in the Eastern Conference semifinals series.

Check out the full box score here.

ONE BIG TAKEAWAY
Joel Embiid was the talk of the town entering Game 3, receiving his MVP trophy from NBA commissioner Adam Silver in front of the home-town crowd at Wells Fargo Center prior to tip.

The 29-year-old was rightfully viewed as the key to victory for the 76ers, with the thought being if he could go back to his MVP ways, Philadelphia would be in good shape to keep homecourt advantage.

The only problem is, it’s hard to win when you only have one guy show up.

Philly got practically nothing from its second star, as James Harden finished with more turnovers (five) than field goals made (three). His indecisiveness on the offensive side of the ball was detrimental to the Sixers’ ability to have sustained success on that end. There were times when the 10-time All-Star would pass wide-open attempts in favor of kicking it out. While Embiid did everything in his power to will his team to victory, everyone else (besides a surprising effect P.J. Tucker) essentially no-showed on a big stage.

Game 3 was a far cry from Game 1.

STARS OF THE GAME
— Jaylen Brown was the tone setter for Boston, drawing the toughest assignments (Embiid, James Harden, Tyrese Maxey) Philadelphia had to offer on defense and routinely making tough shots on the offensive end. He finished the night with 23 points, seven rebounds, five assists, one steal and one block.

— Embiid was superb, doing everything the Sixers could have asked of him. The MVP finished with 30 points, 13 rebounds, four blocks and a steal.

— Marcus Smart, playing through a litany of bumps and bruises, showed exactly why he won the NBA’s Heart and Hustle award. The 29-year-old finished with 15 points, four rebounds, three assists and three steals.

WAGER WATCH
Al Horford got into a tiff with a reporter pregame after he was laughed at for claiming to be an elite shooter. That pretty much locked him in for the Over on three-point field goals, which DraftKings Sportsbook set at 1.5 with -155 odds. He made five, netting $100 bettors a breezy $164.52 payout.

UP NEXT
The Celtics and Sixers will remain in Philly for Game 4. Tipoff from Wells Fargo Center is set for 3:30 p.m. ET on Sunday afternoon.