In the Eastern Conference Semifinals, the Boston Celtics lead the Philadelphia 76ers 2-1 after winning Friday night’s game, 114-102. After receiving his NBA MVP trophy in a pregame ceremony, Embiid scored 30 points and hauled in 13 boards in his second game back from injury. The Celtics’ star wing duo combined for 50 points as Jayson Tatum scored 27 points and Jaylen Brown added 23.
Shortly after his MVP ceremony concluded, the Celtics pulled off a 10-point run to control the game. Philadelphia was playing from behind for the remainder of the game — never managing to overtake control. Boston seemingly had an answer to Philadelphia’s efforts.
James Harden failed to elevate his game after halftime despite having a chance to boost the Sixers. In the third quarter, after Harden connected with PJ Tucker for an open 3-point look, Philadelphia was within 74-72. A deflating sequence immediately followed. After missing two straight jumpers, Harden fouled Brown on a tough layup. With Brown’s free throw, the Celtics pushed their lead back to eight.
Late in the game, De’Anthony Melton brought the Sixers within five points before Malcolm Brogdon countered with a 3-pointer of his own. Al Horford delivered another crushing blow to Philadelphia to put the Celtics back up seven. Tatum drained a jumper that sealed the game. He even hit another 3-pointer to add insult to injury for the Sixers, clinching a second consecutive playoff win for Boston.
NBA NEWS & PLAYOFFS: Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers, Jayson Tatum & Boston Celtics Updates
“We just held the ball too long, too much,” Embiid said. “We don’t start our actions fast enough. That’s why it looks so slow. We’re not scoring the ball. We’re not making shots.”
Embiid gamely tried to carry the Sixers while powering through injury, but his supporting cast continued to lethim down. Harden failed to respond well after shooting just 2-14 in Game 2 and finished with just 16 points on 3-14 shooting in Game 3. None of Embiid’s teammates managed to crack the 20-point threshold with Harden’s underwhelming performance being his second-highest scoring teammate.
NBA NEWS & PLAYOFFS: Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers, Jayson Tatum & Boston Celtics Updates
In addition to missing easy looks and layups, Harden also made five turnovers. He shot 5-28 from the floor in his last two games. This is the worst mark of his career within a two-game span at any point — including the regular season and playoffs. Oddly enough, this stretch occurred after a 45-point outburst in Game 1 of the series.
“We’re just trying to make him work as much as we can,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said. “Trying to keep him off the free-throw line. Guys are just working to take away those details.”
NBA NEWS & PLAYOFFS: Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers, Jayson Tatum & Boston Celtics Updates
Just as in the first round against the Brooklyn Nets, Embiid has been frequently double-teamed. The Sixers need his supporting cast to step up in Game 4 to avoid dropping 3-1 in the series. The obvious candidate is Harden given his role and expectations. Other top options need to step up, too. Tyrese Maxey only scored 13 points in Game 3, with Tobias Harris scoring only seven.
“I didn’t get the ball enough,” Embiid said. “Not to score, but also to make plays for my teammates. They had a tendency of doubling quite a bit tonight, so I thought we could have used that to our advantage. When we did, we also missed a lot of wide-open 3s.”
The Sixers and Celtics will face off in Game 4 on Sunday.
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