NBA Play

On the occasion of the first game of the series, Boston took advantage of home court to easily dominate Philadelphia (123-91). The Celtics have started their playoffs perfectly. Second in the Eastern Conference, the New England franchise secured a very large victory when hosting the Philadelphia 76ers, who exited the play-in, for game 1 of the series. While Tyrese Maxey’s teammates (21 points, 8 assists) held on from the early moments of the game, they were never able to take the lead. Thanks to a 14-2 run led by Jayson Tatum (25 points, 11 rebounds, 7 assists), the Celtics opened up the first significant lead of the match with thirteen points ahead. The Sixers made a comeback to get back under the ten-point deficit.

But they ended the first quarter suffering another setback. Their deficit then rose to fifteen points. Although the beginning of the second quarter may have hinted at a reversal, it didn’t last long. Dominant in their play, Joe Mazzulla’s protected players quickly exceeded a 20-point lead. As halftime approached, the Sixers held on to go back to the locker room 18 points behind thanks to a last basket by VJ Edgecombe (13 points). On their return to the TD Garden court, the Celtics did not maintain the same intensity, allowing the Philadelphia players to remain relatively close.

However, an acceleration by the Boston players led by Jaylen Brown (26 points) enabled them to regain a lead surpassing 20 points. The fourth quarter turned into a nightmare for the 76ers, who only managed to score four points in nearly five minutes. On the other side of the court, the Celtics did not ease up. The result was a lead exceeding 30 points for the first time in the game. Without letting up, Neemias Queta’s teammates (13 points) secured a convincing victory to start the series (123-91). They will need to confirm this result as soon as this Monday in the second game, still at the TD Garden.