Celtics vs. 76ers Overtime Delayed After Arena Prematurely Drops Confetti

Philadelphia 76ers swingman Marco Belinelli forced overtime with a buzzer-beating shot in Game 3 of his team's second-round playoff series against the Boston Celtics, but whoever was in charge of confetti at Wells Fargo Center thought he won the contest.

Philadelphia trailed 89-87 after Jaylen Brown's layup with less than two seconds left, and Belinelli drilled a fadeaway shot from the corner to tie it. He was close to the three-point line, which caused the confetti to drop and a delay before overtime as it was cleaned.

The Crazy End of Regulation in Philly

Keith Pompey of the Philly Inquirer shared the details:

It was a monster shot for the 32-year-old veteran, as he temporarily rescued his team from a late-game collapse that would have put it on the brink of elimination. The Celtics won the first two contests of this series in Boston and seized the lead in the final seconds of regulation Saturday after the 76ers turned the ball over when they had the opportunity to take the final shot.

Terry Rozier—who has played the role of postseason hero for the Celtics with Kyrie Irving sidelined with injury—patiently waited until Brown broke free for what looked like the winning layup.

The turnover was foreshadowing, though, as Al Horford's layup in overtime gave Boston a one-point lead with five seconds left before Ben Simmons threw the ensuing inbounds pass away. Horford calmly drilled two free throws to extend the advantage, and Belinelli's three at the buzzer rimmed out.

As a result, the Celtics extended their series lead to 3-0 with the 101-98 win. Game 4 is Monday, and Philadelphia will have to take advantage of its home floor to avoid a sweep.