Jayson Tatum overcame his recent playoff struggles in a big way on Sunday afternoon. Tatum scored 51 points as the Boston Celtics advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals with a resounding 112-88 win over the Philadelphia 76ers in game seven of the Eastern Conference Semifinals at TD Garden. The 51 points is an NBA game seven playoff record.
Boston came out roaring with an early 8-0 run take an 8-2 lead on a dunk cutting to the basket by Robert Williams III in his second straight start off an assist by Al Horford. Philadelphia responded with an 8-0 to take the lead back. The 76ers would later increase that advantage to 29-20 on a PJ Tucker three-pointer. Tucker had a trio of three-pointers in the opening quarter (11 points) as the guests led 29-23. A ton of action in the second also saw a flagrant foul on James Harden and a double technical against Jaylen Brown and Georges Niang. The Celtics after trailing by nine again a little over two minutes in would take the lead back on a three-pointer by Horford halfway through the period. They would lead by as many as three which is what it was at the halftime break 55-52. MVP Joel Embiid was held to 4-12 shooting in the opening 24 minutes for the 76ers, while Jayson Tatum didn’t find any of his prior game struggles as he was 9-16 from the floor for 25 points to help the hosts take the lead into the intermission. Tatum was 4-30 with a total of 18 points in the first half in games four through six.
Boston lit it up in the decisive third quarter, outscoring Philadelphia 33-10 to turn a close game into a blowout. After Tobias Harris hit a three-pointer to tie it on the first possession of the period, the Celtics outscored the 76ers 28-3 over the next 9:44. During the huge quarter that included an 18-0 run, they hit eight 3-pointers and Tatum had 17 points and nailed four from behind the arc. Philadelphia had four players in double figures as their season came to an end, but none of the four were able to reach 20 points.
Harris led Philadelphia in the loss with 19 points, Tyrese Maxey had 17 points, while Embiid finished with 15 points, eight rebounds, and two blocked shots on 5-18 from the field. Tucker didn’t score after the first quarter and ended with 11 points. The 76ers shot 13-42 in the second half (3-21 in the third quarter). The #3 Eastern Conference seed ends up with a final record of 61-32. Tatum went 17-28 from the floor (6-10 three-pointers) and also 11-14 from the foul line, while also adding 13 rebounds, five assists, and two steals. Brown had 25 points and Malcolm Brogdon contributed 12, as Boston advances to the Eastern Conference Finals for the fifth time in the last seven years. The #2 Celtics (65-30) take on the #8 Miami Heat (52-41) in a rematch of last seasons ECF that was won by Boston in seven games. The teams split the four regular season meetings. Game 1 is Wednesday night at 8:30 in Boston. Here is the full schedule-
#2 Boston vs #8 Miami/Eastern Conference Finals
Game 1- @Boston- Wednesday, May 17 @8:30 p.m.
Game 2- @Boston- Friday, May 19 @8:30 p.m.
Game 3- @Miami- Sunday, May 21 @8:30 p.m.
Game 4- @Miami- Tuesday, May 23 @8:30 p.m.
*Game 5- @Boston- Thursday, May 25 @8:30 p.m.
*Game 6- @Miami- Saturday, May 27 @8:30 p.m.
*Game 7- @Boston- Monday, May 29 @8:30 p.m.
*if necessary
Story by Chris Lessner
