BOSTON — The Celtics bounced back to defeat the 76ers on Wednesday night at TD Garden, sending the series back to Philadelphia via a 121-87 victory.
The C’s tied the Eastern Conference semifinals series at one game apiece.
Check out the full box score here.
ONE BIG TAKEAWAY
The Celtics were hindered by a poor turnover margin (minus-10) and an odd philosophy shift in which they attempted their lowest number of threes (26) on the season in Game 1, leading to a surprising loss at TD Garden.
It was a rough performance, but there was some good news to come out of it. They had two points of emphasis entering Game 2: shoot more threes and turn the ball over less.
Check and check.
Boston connected on 20-of-51 attempts from beyond the arc and turned the ball over just four times. There was an even stretch toward the end of the third quarter where Boston knocked four threes down in less than two minutes, ballooning their lead to 29 points. Even with league MVP Joel Embiid returning — and blocking five shots along the way, there’s no stopping the Celtics when they knock it down at that clip.
The defense shouldn’t be overlooked, however. Boston was able to run it up thanks to some great defense by double bigs Robert Williams III and Al Horford, who combined for four blocks and disrupted just about every non-Embiid shot at the rim.
Huh, maybe Joe Mazzulla is on to something.
STARS OF THE GAME
— Jaylen Brown’s strong first quarter got the ball rolling for Boston, with the All-Star scoring 13 of the Celtics’ first 18 points and eventually finishing with 25 points, four assists, three rebounds and two steals.
— Marcus Smart set the tone early with his trademarked chaos, racking up 15 points, five rebounds, two assists and a block by the end of the game.
— Malcolm Brogdon provided a spark off the bench, finishing with 23 points, six rebounds, two assists and a block.
WAGER WATCH
Brogdon was given -125 odds to surpass 21.5 total points, rebounds and assists by DraftKings Sportsbook pregame. He surpassed that number thanks to the three ball, netting a $180 payout for $100 bettors.
UP NEXT
The Celtics and Sixers will head out to Philadelphia for Game 3 at Wells Fargo Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET on Friday night.
