76ers Lambasted By Fans for Blowout vs. Jaylen Brown, Celtics in Joel Embiid's Return

The Boston Celtics aren't going down without a fight.

Boston evened its second-round playoff series against the Philadelphia 76ers with a commanding 121-87 victory in Wednesday's Game 2 at TD Garden. While MVP Joel Embiid returned for the 76ers after missing the first contest with a knee injury, Jaylen Brown and Co. proved to be too much for the visitors.

Brown finished with 25 points as one of five Celtics in double figures in a balanced effort. Jayson Tatum was not one of those players and managed just seven points on 1-of-7 shooting from the field.

While Philadelphia earned a split in Boston, losing in such a blowout fashion while Tatum was so quiet led to criticism on social media:

Game 1 belonged to James Harden with Embiid sidelined, so the Celtics made it a priority to bother the 10-time All-Star. They cut off his driving lanes, fought through screens to challenge his outside shots and held him to an ugly 2-of-14 shooting from the field.

Embiid did what he could to keep the visitors within striking distance by blocking everything in sight—including a Brown dunk attempt—in the first half, even when he was visibly slowed by the brace on his knee.

Yet Brown quickly found his touch and spearheaded Boston's offensive efforts with his outside shooting. He even got another dunk with Embiid around the rim to make up for the blocked one and was dialed in as his team extended the lead to double digits in the second half.

Elsewhere, Marcus Smart aggressively sought out his shot before Derrick White and Malcolm Brogdon caught fire in the third quarter as the Celtics eliminated any remaining drama from the contest. They were critical in overcoming struggles from Tatum and Al Horford (2-of-10 from the field) and underscored Boston's depth.

The Celtics will likely need Tatum to be better when the series shifts to Philadelphia for Friday's Game 3, but they had more than enough balance to cruise in this one, with the 76ers playing with the intensity of a team that was already looking ahead to a return home.