The Philadelphia 76ers won their first game in round two against the Boston Celtics and avoided a sweep with a 102-93 win in Game 4.
The Celtics found themselves in early foul trouble, and the game eventually got out of hand following two technical fouls on Jaylen Brown and Brad Stevens. These penalties stemmed from Brown picking up a questionable fifth call in the third quarter.
Boston then tried to rally back after being down by as many as 18 in the fourth, but their comeback fell short thanks to missed opportunities and sloppy defense.
Philadelphia led in nearly every category, including taking 19 more field goals. They were plus 10 in the rebounding department, had eight more assists, and only eight turnovers compared to Boston’s 15.
Dario Saric led all scorers, pouring in 25 points and eight rebounds. Joel Embiid earned his fourth double-double in this series in as many games, contributing 19 points and 13 rebounds in 35 minutes of action. T.J. McConnell had a career high in points with 19 and did it on an impressive 9-of-12 shooting. He also added seven boards and 5 assists.
Jayson Tatum led the Celtics with 20 points, marking the sixth-straight postseason game where he hit the 20-point mark. Al Horford picked up a double-double by the skin of his teeth, by snagging 10 boards to go with 10 points.
Boston now leads the series 3-1 and will head back to the TD Garden for game five where they will try to remain undefeated throughout this postseason at home. This game is set for Wednesday, May 9, with tipoff to be determined.
