Jayson Tatum, Celtics Crush Joel Embiid, 76ers in Game 1; Terry Rozier Scores 29
The short-handed Boston Celtics earned a 117-101 win in Game 1 of their second-round NBA playoff series with the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday at TD Garden.
Terry Rozier had a team-high 29 points to go along with eight rebounds and six assists, while Jayson Tatum scored 28 points.
Entering the game, the Celtics were already down Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward.
The team announced Jaylen Brown would be out as well with a right hamstring strain, leaving Boston without its top two scorers from the regular season. In addition, Marcus Smart had his right thumb heavily wrapped, a consequence of the surgery he underwent in March.
But the Celtics did what they've done all year and found a way to cope.
Rozier shot 7-of-9 from beyond the arc, while Tatum was 11-of-12 from the charity stripe. Al Horford was also a model of efficiency, going 10-of-12 from the field en route to a 26-point night. Even Smart, who missed nine of his 12 shots, flirted with a double-double (nine points, nine assists).
Rozier's big night in particular had social media buzzing throughout the game:
Even while dealing with all of their numerous injury issues, the Celtics led 56-45 at halftime, with Rozier and Tatum combining for 29 points in the first half. The Athletic's Derek Bodner wasn't ready to sound the alarm for Philadelphia despite the double-digit deficit:
But the second-half surge never arrived for the Sixers. Joel Embiid had a huge game (31 points, 13 rebounds) and was one of the few bright spots for Philadelphia. Ben Simmons had 18 points, seven rebounds and six assists yet undid some of his positive contributions by committing seven turnovers.
Celtics fans may have gotten under Simmons' skin by echoing a line of argument by Utah Jazz star Donovan Mitchell. While Simmons was at the free-throw line in the third quarter, TD Garden became awash with "Not a rookie" chants:
It would appear Mitchell took notice:
Simmons isn't solely to blame for the loss, but he was part of a larger issue for the Sixers. The team was minus-21 with Simmons on the court, minus-20 with Dario Saric and minus-13 with Robert Covington.
The Sixers aren't going to beat the Celtics if they're relying so heavily on Embiid; one player can't carry a team past such a collectively strong squad. The Milwaukee Bucks have a top-five player in Giannis Antetokounmpo, and they got bounced in seven games.
The Celtics continue to defy the skeptics in the playoffs, but they arguably remain underdogs in the second round. Philadelphia is likely to return to its old self over the rest of the series.
The Bucks were relying on an interim head coach and had little production outside of Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton. The Sixers are a more balanced roster with better coaching, thus presenting Boston with a far stiffer test over the course of a seven-game set.
Granted, taking a 2-0 series lead would put the Celtics in the driver's seat, as they'd need just two wins over the next five games to advance.
Philadelphia shot 5-of-26 from beyond the arc Monday. Thursday's Game 2 will be a good indicator whether that was bad luck and a little rust after five days of rest or if Celtics head coach Brad Stevens has devised a defensive game plan to neutralize the Sixers' perimeter shooting.
Should the latter prove true, Philadelphia could be in trouble.
