Celtics 117, 76ers 101 (Celtics lead 1-0)
The Celtics just keep doing their thing, regardless of who isn’t suited up. Without Jaylen Brown (hamstring) in addition to everyone else that hasn’t appeared in the postseason for Boston, the Celtics held the 76ers at bay for 48 minutes in a win that was never particularly close.
Terry Rozier (29 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists) and Jayson Tatum (28 points) couldn’t be stopped at all as they shredded the Philadelphia defense, which didn’t provide much in the way of resistance. Boston shot over 48 percent from the field and hit 17 threes. On the other side, the 76ers’ sharpshooters who were locked in against the Heat struggled mightily from three-point range. Philly shot just 5-of-26 from beyond the arc.
Scary Terry is balling out early! (via @NBA) pic.twitter.com/Hdmc8IbajP
— SLAM Magazine (@SLAMonline) May 1, 2018
The bulk of the 76ers’ scoring came from Joel Embiid (31 points, 13 rebounds) and Ben Simmons (18 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists). But, they did commit a combined 10 turnovers, limiting their effectiveness. Robert Covington and Dario Saric couldn’t really get going.
With that said, the best player on the floor for either team might have been Al Horford (26 points on 10-of-12 shooting, 7 rebounds, 4 assists). He did it all for Boston and while that might be reflected in Embiid and Simmons’ scoring totals, Horford helped make things a little tougher for them. And, as usual, his offensive floor-spacing was invaluable for the Celtics in terms of opening things up in the paint. The series continues on Thursday night in Boston.
