Boston’s Jayson Tatum reacts after the Celtics won Game 3 against the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday. Matt Slocum/Associated Press
It was easy to look at the Celtics’ Game 2 win on Wednesday and think: ‘If they keep playing like this, they’re going to win a championship this year.”
That’s both true and impossible.
Nobody is going to keep winning that easily. Wednesday was terrific, something to cherish and enjoy, not something to expect or rely on.
But…
If the Celtics keep playing like they did in Game 3, they’re going to win a championship this year.
Despite being on the road, with Joel Embiid filling up the stat sheet, the Celtics made big shots, big stops and a pretty big statement. But when the horn blew, Boston walked off the court with a 114-102 victory over the Sixers at Wells Fargo Arena, their best win over the playoffs so far. It’s not as visually impressive as Game 2, but it means more.
If the Celtics were counting on Embiid being less than 100 percent and unable to fully impact their second-round series, that’s not happening.
The significant knee sprain that kept Embiid out of the last game of the Nets series and the first game of this one isn’t hampering him enough to affect anything. Embiid was presented with his MVP trophy before tipoff and then spent the game reminding people why he won it.
In just his second game back, Embiid had 30 points, 13 rebounds and four blocked shots – including 26 points, nine rebounds and all four blocks in the first three quarters before tiring a bit. But whether it was Embiid’s presence and the threat of what he might do, or simply internal motivation, the Celtics played hard and played focused. They answered runs and stayed in control and under control.
“The team that is more focused, has more attention to detail, usually wins in any sport,” Jaylen Brown said. “We wanted to make sure we came out like that.”
Doc Rivers tipped his cap.
“They did the little things better than we did tonight,” he said.
The Celtics were solid defensively, neutralizing James Harden for the second straight game after he torched them in Game 1. Boston was smart with the ball. They got contributions from everyone who played.
Jayson Tatum was terrific. Even after banging his knee in the third quarter, he was the best player on the floor in the fourth. He finished with 27 points, 10 rebounds and five assists.
“He’s a top-five player in the world. He showed that tonight,” Malcolm Brogdon said. “He played a terrific game all around and he finished a tough game in a hostile environment.”
It wasn’t just Tatum. Six Celtics scored in double figures. They defended effectively as the Sixers shot just 39.7 percent. Boston trailed by a point at the end of the first quarter, but scored eight straight points early in the second quarter and never faltered again.
Philly got within two in the third and within four in the fourth. But both times the Celtics responded with runs — 14-4 in the third and 12-4 in the fourth — to suppress an real comeback attempt for Philadelphia.
“The guys kept an awareness and a poise to what was necessary,” Joe Mazzulla said.
The Celtics coach is often a man of few words. But he summed up his team’s challenge perfectly. They still have to prove that they can continue to rise to the moment, a trait that’s eluded them before. But if their awareness and poise carry over, there could be a lot of games left to be won.
SATURDAY’S GAME
HEAT 105, KNICKS 86: Jimmy Butler returned from his sprained ankle to score 28 points, Max Strus added 19 and Miami topped visiting New York to take a 2-1 lead in their Eastern Conference semifinal series.
Bam Adebayo had 17 points and 12 rebounds for Miami and Kyle Lowry added 14 points as the Heat never trailed.
Duncan Robinson opened the second quarter with a 3-pointer, giving Miami an 11-point lead – and the lead remained double digits the rest of the way.
Jalen Brunson scored 20 for New York, which got 15 from Josh Hart, 14 from RJ Barrett and 12 from Immanuel Quickley – who left midway through the fourth quarter after appearing to twist his left ankle. Julius Randle added 10 points and 14 rebounds for the Knicks.
Game 4 is Monday.
FRIDAY’S LATE GAME
SUNS 121, NUGGETS 114: Devin Booker scored 47 points, Kevin Durant added 39 and Phoenix beat the visiting Nuggets to cut Denver’s lead to 2-1 in their Western Conference semifinal series.
Booker – who came into the game averaging 35.4 points in these playoffs – had another massive offensive effort, shooting 20 of 25 from the field, including 5 of 8 from 3-point range. Durant shot just 12 of 31 from the field, but made 14 of 16 free throws.
The Suns will try to even the series in Game 4 on Sunday in Phoenix.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.