The Boston Celtics were able to fight back despite being down by as many as 22 points to the Philadelphia 76ers in the first half, and ended up taking a 2-0 series lead after winning game two 108-103.
In contrast to the first game, Philadelphia shot the ball decently and knocked down most of their open looks from deep. J.J. Redick ended the night with 23 points, including going 5-for-9 on three-pointers.
However, the team defense that Boston plays so masterfully under Brad Stevens was in full effect, and completely locked down Rookie of the Year candidate Ben Simmons. While Simmons had five assists and seven rebounds, he missed all four of his field goal attempts and only had one point. He also turned the ball over five times.
Joel Embiid had another impressive outing despite shooting 8-for-22 from the field. The 7-foot center notched another double-double with 14 rebounds and 20 points. Philadelphia’s Dario Saric and Robert Covington both missed out on a double-double by a sole rebound.
Meanwhile for the Celtics, playoff Al Horford lived up to his name in yet another key outing. The veteran forward had 13 points, five assists, and 12 rebounds, while shooting above 50 percent.
Jayson Tatum scored 21 points and made seven of his 14 field goal attempts.
Once again, Terry Rozier did what he does best. While avoiding picking up a single turnover, Rozier poured in 20 points, seven rebounds, and nine assists—including this game sealing lob to a leaping Tatum.
Rozier races down the court and finds Tatum on the lob! https://t.co/6QDF7hs4HU
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) May 4, 2018
With this win, the Celtics have a 6-0 record at the TD Garden so far this postseason. It also adds another game to an already lengthy list this season where somehow, someway, Brad Stevens and whatever players he has available come out on top after being nearly beaten into submission.
The Celtics will now try to take a commanding 3-0 lead when this second-round matchup heads to Philadelphia. With a 2-0 lead, history fairs on the side of Boston. The Celtics are 36-0 when up 2-0 in a seven game series, while the 76ers are 0-11 when trailing 0-2.
Game three is set for Saturday, March 5, at 4:00 p.m.
