Jayson Tatum takes over as Celtics beat Sixers 88-87
In one of the closest games of the year so far, the Celtics held onto a late lead to beat the Philadelphia 76ers 88-87 at TD Garden Wednesday night. With the win, the Celtics improve to 12-10 and have won two straight games.
Outside of a very early run from the Celtics, this game featured a single-digit, and often single-possession scoring margin. It was a matter of one team’s superstar outplaying the other’s making the difference.
The Celtics opened the game with a 13-4 run, and were spurred by seven first quarter points by Al Horford. However, the Sixers closed the quarter on an 8-0 run to shrink the Celtics’ lead to one, making it 21-20 through one quarter.
Not much was settled in the second quarter. Neither team led by more than a single position until the final 30 seconds, when Jayson Tatum hit a three-pointer to put the Celtics up 44-40. That ended up being the score heading into the break.
Halftime ended up taking almost twice as long as initially planned. There was an issue with the netting on one of the baskets, and after attempts to fix it the entire net ended up being replaced.
"This is like NASCAR, gotta change it quickly!" - @Scalabrine 😂 pic.twitter.com/SW8lKsrBVl
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) December 2, 2021
The Sixers would get up by as many as five points in the third quarter, and it potentially could have been more. Another issue with the net resulted in an extended stoppage with about three minutes to play in the frame, halting Philadelphia’s momentum. Instead, it was another back-and-forth 12 minutes had the Celtics up one, 64-63, heading into the fourth quarter.
It was a one possession game for most of the fourth quarter. Tatum hit a pair of free throws to put the C’s up four with just over a minute to go, a lead the Celtics maintained until Danny Green hit a three pointer with 29 seconds left to make it a one-score game. After the Celtics failed to score on the ensuing possession, Robert Williams blocked Georges Niang at the buzzer to seal the win.
Tatum finished with a game-high 26 points (11 in the fourth quarter) and career-high 16 rebounds while shooting 9-of-20 from the field. Meanwhile, Joel Embiid scored 13 points and shot a dismal 3-of-17 from the floor (although he did have 18 rebounds).
As for the other Celtics, Dennis Schroder followed Tatum with 13 points, while Al Horford and Robert Williams each scored 10. Jaylen Brown added nine.
Up next for the Celtics is a five-game west coast road trip, beginning Friday night in Utah. Tip-off against the Jazz is at 9 p.m., with pregame coverage beginning at 8:30 on 98.5 The Sports Hub.
Click here for 98.5 The Sports Hub’s complete coverage of the Celtics.
Alex Barth is a writer and digital producer for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Thoughts? Comments? Questions? Looking for a podcast guest? Let him know on Twitter @RealAlexBarth or via email at abarth@985TheSportsHub.com.
