BOSTON — The Sixers emphatically erased the embarrassment of their 32-point Game 1 loss Tuesday night at TD Garden.
They responded by snagging a 111-97 win over the Celtics to even their first-round playoff series at 1-1.
VJ Edgecombe was simply incredible, posting 30 points and 10 rebounds. Edgecombe scored the most by a Sixers rookie in a playoff game since Andrew Toney against the Celtics in 1981.
Tyrese Maxey had 29 points and nine assists. Paul George scored 19 points.
Celtics star Jaylen Brown had 36 points. Jayson Tatum tallied 19 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists.
Joel Embiid (appendectomy recovery) remained out. A Sixers official said Monday that Embiid has started a post-surgery strength and conditioning program in Philadelphia.
The Sixers will head home to Philadelphia and face the Celtics in Game 3 on Friday night. Here are observations on their Game 2 victory:
Three-point disparity the early story
The Sixers’ defense did not have a promising start. Boston scored six points on its first two possesions with long-range jumpers by Tatum and Sam Hauser.
Offensively, the Sixers did a nice job in the opening minutes of taking available mid-range looks without hesitation. They began 4 for 4 from the floor. George knocked down a couple of mid-post jumpers. Edgecombe hit a shot from the left elbow to give the Sixers their first lead of the series at 9-8.
The contest then shifted back to a similar dynamic as Game 1. Boston made a 16-0 run and went up 26-13 on a Nikola Vucevic three-pointer.
The early long-distance gap between the teams was dramatic. The Celtics scored the night’s first 15 points beyond the arc. A game after going 4 for 23, the Sixers missed their first six three-point tries.
Edgecombe bounces right back up
Edgecombe exited at the 4:47 mark of the first quarter, limping off to the Sixers’ locker room.
The rookie had fallen hard on his back a few plays prior while pursuing a defensive rebound. Fortunately for Edgecombe and the Sixers, he avoided anything close to a worst-case outcome.
Edgecombe returned to the Sixers’ sideline about two minutes later and hopped on an exercise bike. He checked in with seven seconds left in the first quarter.
Maxey and Brown sat to start the second quarter. The Sixers didn’t experience any sort of downward slide with their star guard resting. George and Quentin Grimes sunk three-pointers early in the second. Grimes also swatted away a Payton Pritchard jumper.
Andre Drummond added a corner three. The veteran big man’s baseline push shot lifted the Sixers to a 41-39 edge and Maxey soon subbed in.
Grimes’ two-way play was an important boost for the Sixers after his quiet Game 1. When he’s on, Grimes can help keep the Sixers’ offense afloat with tough shotmaking during stagnant stretches.
Edgecombe’s health sure didn’t appear to be an issue in the second quarter. He played a truly spectacular period.
The 20-year-old chased down ultra-athletic offensive rebounds, played active defense and made his first three-pointers of the series — four of them, in fact. Late in the second quarter, Edgecombe sliced through the Celtics’ defense and slammed in a fast-break dunk. He swished a jumper from the left wing to put the Sixers up 62-54. Edgecombe’s 20 points and seven rebounds topped both teams at halftime.
As he showed in the Sixers’ opening-night win over the Celtics and on many subsequent occasions, Edgecombe believes that he belongs on big stages and has the tools to shine. He did just that in his second career playoff game.
Sixers find tons of timely buckets
George committed his third foul with 6:57 left in the second quarter and had to watch the rest of the first half from the bench.
He drained a three-pointer on the first shot of the third quarter to raise the Sixers’ lead to double digits. Following that 0-for-6 start from three-point territory, the Sixers made 11 of their next 14 long-range jumpers. Meanwhile, the Celtics cooled off considerably and finished 13 for 50 (26 percent).
Edgecombe came out again with a limp at the 10:08 mark of the third quarter. Just like in the first half, he was back on the Sixers’ bench minutes later and good to go.
The Celtics ate into the Sixers’ lead during much of the third quarter, but Edgecombe nailed a pull-up three to restore a six-point advantage. He continued to play fearless basketball and amped up his offensive aggression with Maxey on the bench.
Boston trimmed its deficit to 84-82 on a short Pritchard jumper early in the fourth quarter. The Sixers prevented the Celtics from surging ahead and Justin Edwards played a major part.
Edwards, who logged 22 minutes off the bench, beat the shot clock with a timely three. He also blocked a Brown jumper, scrapped for rebounds, and generally did valuable, high-effort work as the Sixers’ lone bench wing.
The Celtics were always bound to push the Sixers. With three-balls from Tatum and Brown, the Sixers’ lead dipped to 91-90.
Tatum missed a go-ahead jumper attempt. Maxey was then rewarded for his persistence through inevitable shooting ups and downs as the Sixers’ lead guard. He canned pull-up threes on the team’s next two possessions.
The Sixers’ foot stayed on the gas and the Celtics couldn’t create any drama down the stretch.
About the Author
Discover more from USA NEWS
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
