BOSTON — Jaylen Brown scored 25 points and the Boston Celtics thrashed the Philadelphia 76ers 121-87 on Wednesday night, spoiling the return of newly named NBA MVP Joel Embiid.
The Celtics evened the Eastern Conference semifinals, which now move to Philadelphia, to one win apiece. The third duel is scheduled for Friday.
Malcolm Brogdon added 23 points, hitting all six of his 3-pointers, among Boston’s 20. Derrick White and Marcus Smart added 15 points a head.
Jayson Tatum played much of the game under pressure from foul trouble and was limited to seven points.
Boston beefed up its defense and limited the Sixers who had hit 17 3-pointers in Game 1. This time, they made just 6 of 30 shots from behind the arc.
The Celtics came to hold a 36-point lead in the fourth period.
Tobias Harris led Philadelphia with 16 points, Embiid finished with 15, as well as grabbing three rebounds and collecting five blocks in the game that marked his return after suffering a sprained right knee, which sidelined him from the last matchup of the first-round series. round, a sweep over Brooklyn Nets.
The Cameroonian also missed the first game against the Celtics on Monday. His return came a day after he was voted Most Valuable Player for the first time in his career.
2023-05-04 14:07:03
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