James Harden had 45 points and hit a game winning three-pointer with 8.4 seconds remaining on Monday night, as the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Boston Celtics 119-115 in game one of an NBA Eastern Conference Semifinal series at TD Garden.
Philadelphia was playing without Joel Embiid (sprained LCL), but started out scorching from the floor as they hit 8 for their first 10 and led five minutes in 19-13 behind 12 early points from Harden. Boston went on an 11-0 run to take a 24-19 lead, and would lead by as many as eight in the first quarter. The Celtics also started on fire as they shot 17-20 from the field in the opening 12 minutes (4-6 three-pointers) and took a 38-31 advantage to the second. After Philadelphia tied it at 38-38, Boston later in the second period went on a 10-3 run to stretch the lead to 62-50. The 76ers got all the way back within one, as the Celtics would still hold a slim 66-63 lead at the halftime break. The guests got the good start with 21 first half points from Harden and also 17 off the bench by De’Anthony Melton (5-5 three-pointers). Tatum had 26 in the first 24 minutes for the C’s (11-14 from the field, 4-4 from the arc).
Philadelphia regained their first lead since the first quarter in the third on a driving layup by Harden, and extended it to six on one of seven three-pointers hit in the game by Harden at 83-77 with 5:06 in the period. Boston took a brief two point lead on an 8-2 spurt, but the game would head for the fourth tied at 87-87. The Celtics got their lead back in the final quarter by as many as five, but some key plays and timely shots knocked down allowed the 76ers to hang around. Boston took their final lead 115-114 on two free throws by Tatum with 26.1 seconds remaining. Harden drained a deep three on the other end that ended up being the game winner with Al Horford drapped all over him. A bad pass that went as a turnover by Marcus Smart would ice it, as Tatum fouled Paul Reed on the same play and Reed sank both at the foul line.
Harden was 17-30 from the field (7-14 three-pointers) and also added six assists and two steals as part of the Philadelphia win. Tyrese Maxey had 26 points and four steals, while Tobias Harris (18), Melton (17), and Reed (10) all got into double figures for the 76ers. Tatum in the loss had 39 points, 11 rebounds, and five assists (his fifth double double in seven playoff games so far). Jaylen Brown added 23 points, six rebounds, and four assists. Malcolm Brogdon, the sixth man of the year, would contribute 20 points off the bench. Smart (12) and Horford (11) also got into double figures. Both teams shot a high percentage from the floor as the Celtics were at 58.7%, and the 76ers at 50.6%. Philadelphia made 17 from behind the arc, and Boston made 10. Both clubs also shot well at the line for a combined 29-30. Game two at TD Garden is Wednesday night at 8 p.m.
Story by Chris Lessner/Highlight video courtesy of the NBA website
