Author: Monojit Mandal
Boston Celtics – Philadelphia76 (121-87)
Celtics point guard Malcolm Brogdon leads the club to a spectacular win over the 76ers, tying the series. Brogdon said before the game that his team needs to send a message: “It’s about going out and enjoying our basketball.” And that’s exactly what they did, winning 121-87.
Jaylen Brown led the way with 25 points, four assists, three rebounds and two steals, while Jayson Tatum had just seven points, seven rebounds and three assists in 21 minutes on the court. With his basket faltering, Malcolm Brogdon showed why he was named ‘sixth man’ of the year this season. He came off the bench excited, almost matching the 26-point total of the other 76ers reserves. He scored 23 points, six rebounds and two assists on 6-of-10 shooting from the field, setting a new post-season career record.
With a 57-49 lead at halftime, the Celtics broke the game open in the third quarter, outscoring the 76ers 35-16, with 21 of their points coming from the 3-point line. Brogdon’s 3-pointer was an essential part of the game, and increased the lead to 27 points in the fourth quarter. Brogdon needed just 83 seconds of playing time to turn a comfortable Celtics lead into an impossible struggle for Philly. He had nine points on 3 of 5 shooting in the third quarter, while Derrick White scored ten and Jaylen had nine.
Brogdon hit another three-pointer at the start of the fourth quarter and increased the Celtics’ lead to 32 points, prompting 76ers coach Doc Rivers to pull his starters. Boston stopped the 76ers with just 6 of 30 3-point shots, while hitting 20 of 51 overall – a big improvement on the previous game.
The Celtics will try to maintain this energy in the next games of the series, which will be played in Philadelphia on May 6 and 7. With Brogdon’s excellent performance, the Celtics will be optimistic about their chances in the next game.