On this season’s first Celtics-76ers assembly, Boston misplaced at house on Christmas Day. Within the second, the Celtics wanted a 26-point comeback to beat a Sixers group lacking two of its prime three gamers.
The third was a a lot better illustration of the place the 2 Atlantic Division rivals sit within the present NBA hierarchy.
The Celtics bulldozed the free-falling 76ers on Thursday evening, breezing to a 124-104 win on the Wells Fargo Heart of their return from an eight-day All-Star layoff.
It was the fourth consecutive victory and eighth in 9 video games for the reigning NBA champions, who sit 5 1/2 video games again of first-place Cleveland within the Japanese Convention standings. The Celtics improved to 40-16 general and a league-best 23-6 in highway video games. Their common margin of victory throughout their four-game win streak: 19.5 factors.
The 20-35 Sixers, anticipated to be certainly one of Boston’s prime contenders within the East, have misplaced six straight and are on monitor to overlook the playoffs.
Payton Pritchard went 8-of-15 on 3-point makes an attempt to guide the Celtics with 28 factors off the bench. Jayson Tatum notched a 15-point, 11-assist, 10-rebound triple-double. Jaylen Brown completed with 20 factors, six assists and 6 boards after sitting out Boston’s final two video games with knee soreness. Derrick White had his second double-double of the season (16 factors, 10 rebounds) and Kristaps Porzingis topped 15 factors for the 18th consecutive recreation (17, plus 4 rebounds, one steal and one block).
“I feel we simply picked up the place we left off,” Porzingis advised NBC Sports activities Boston sideline reporter Abby Chin. “We have been sort of heading into the break taking part in fairly good basketball, and tonight we got here out, threw the primary punch and simply actually took over the sport.”
The Celtics have been deadly and balanced from 3-point vary within the opening quarter, hitting eight of their first 11 pictures from past the arc. These makes got here from seven completely different gamers: one every by Tatum, Brown, White, Porzingis, Jrue Vacation and Al Horford and two by Pritchard, who canned threes on back-to-back possessions late within the first quarter to place Boston up eight.
Pritchard stayed sizzling within the second. By the 8:55 mark, the NBA Sixth Man of the Yr front-runner was as much as 5 made 3-pointers on six makes an attempt, and the Celtics led by double digits. It was an authoritative return to kind for Pritchard, who went simply 3-for-18 from deep over his earlier two video games.
Boston’s ball motion additionally was terrific throughout this torrid begin. The Celtics assisted on 15 of their first 17 made discipline objectives, with Tatum and Brown combining for 12 first-half helpers.
One of many largest beneficiaries of Tatum’s feeding was Luke Kornet. The backup huge man transformed a tricky layup and two driving dunks within the second quarter, all off well-timed Tatum assists. Tatum final week referred to as Kornet, who’s placing collectively the perfect season of his professional profession, “probably the greatest teammates which you could have” and “a giant a part of (the Celtics’) success.”
At halftime, the Celtics owned an enormous edge in 3-point success (15-for-25 to Philly’s 3-for-17) and a 72-56 lead. A flurry of profitable Tyrese Maxey drives helped reduce Boston’s edge to 10 factors late within the half, however the Celtics responded with consecutive threes by Horford and Porzingis — the latter off a Tatum drop move out of a pick-and-roll — to retake momentum.
Tatum’s triple-double was his second of the season (after his 43-point eruption in opposition to Chicago on Dec. 21) and fourth of his profession. He leads the Celtics in factors, assists and rebounds and is on tempo for a profession excessive in assists per recreation.
“(Tatum) was creating a lot, and it takes plenty of power,” Porzingis advised Chin. “And tonight we have been hitting pictures. Generally he does that for us, and we’re not hitting pictures. Tonight we have been truly hitting pictures, and currently, we’ve been capturing the ball very well. So we wish to maintain going this manner.”
Maxey scored 33 and 34 factors within the first two Celtics-Sixers matchups, however he managed simply 16 factors on this one and was a game-worst minus-25. The oft-injured Joel Embiid had 15 factors on 3-of-9 capturing, and Boston repeatedly exploited his lack of mobility on the defensive finish. Paul George scored 17 and was a minus-24.
The Celtics put the sport away within the third quarter, main by as many as 29 factors and taking a 100-74 benefit into the fourth. Head coach Joe Mazzulla gave current signee Torrey Craig some run with the regulars within the ultimate body (4 rebounds, one help, three blocks in eight minutes), then cleared his bench late.
A few garbage-time 3-pointers by Pritchard gave the Celtics 24 for the sport on 54 makes an attempt (44.4%). The league chief in 3-point makes and makes an attempt by a large margin, Boston has made 21 or extra threes 14 occasions this season and is 14-0 in these video games. It’s additionally 16-1 when capturing 41% or higher from lengthy vary.
Mazzulla’s membership now enters one of the crucial tough stretches of its remaining schedule. Boston will play eight of its subsequent 10 video games at house, however most of these are in opposition to playoff-caliber opponents: the New York Knicks on Sunday, Cleveland Cavaliers on Feb. 28, Denver Nuggets on March 2, Los Angeles Lakers on March 8 and Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder on March 12.
Off the rim
Reserve ahead Xavier Tillman missed the sport with left knee irritation. He was the one Celtics participant who was unavailable. … Ex-Celtics guard Lonnie Walker IV agreed to phrases with the Sixers on Tuesday, however he wasn’t able to make his Philly debut in opposition to his former group. 76ers head coach Nick Nurse advised reporters pregame that Walker’s contract hadn’t been finalized. … The large damage information within the NBA on Thursday was San Antonio’s announcement that second-year phenom Victor Wembanyama, the prohibitive favourite for Defensive Participant of the Yr, would miss the remainder of the season with a blood clot in his proper shoulder. Porzingis marveled at Wembanyama’s expertise after the Spurs visited TD Backyard final week, calling the 21-year-old “a particular, particular participant” who’s “going to be a drive for a protracted, very long time on this league.” The Celtics will play in San Antonio on March 29. … The NBA suspended Milwaukee’s Bobby Portis for 25 video games for testing optimistic for a banned substance, which the veteran ahead referred to as “an trustworthy mistake.” The Celtics already accomplished their season collection with the Bucks, however Portis’ absence might influence the Japanese Convention playoff race. He’s a key reserve for Milwaukee, which entered Thursday ranked fifth within the East standings.
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