The 76ers defeated the Boston Celtics 119-115 away in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals on Monday. Here’s what you should know:
- James Harden tied his playoff career high with 45 points, six rebounds and two steals.
- Celtics All-Star Jayson Tatum posted a team-high with 39 points, 11 rebounds and five assists.
- 76ers star Joel Embiid missed Game 1 with a right knee injury.
- Philadelphia takes a 1-0 lead in a row.
The Athletic’s instant analysis:
Harden blinds in the garden
With Embiid watching from the sidelines, Harden was nothing short of excellent in Game 1 at TD Garden. Against the heavily favored Celtics, Harden scored 45 points on 17-of-30 shooting. And when the Sixers lost one late, he put them in the lead with a contested 3-pointer at the top of the key in an isolation against Al Horford.
Harden also finished with six assists and just three turnovers, despite having the ball in his hands throughout the game. Harden’s playoff record has come under scrutiny, and perhaps deservedly so. But with Philadelphia in a tight spot and having to steal a win in Boston in the worst possible way, Harden put together a masterpiece. — Hofmann
Sixers shine without Embiid
The Sixers went 13-5 without Joel Embiid this season, another example of a team that was resilient when outnumbered. Boston went 17-20 off the field in the first quarter, firing layup after layup and slamming the Sixers to the floor in transition. But there have been impressive performances up and down the Sixers list.
Tyrese Maxey’s 3-pointer didn’t fall, but after being suspended all season by Boston, he finished with 26 points. De’Anthony Melton went 5 of 6 from beyond the arc and made a couple of critical defensive plays. Tobias Harris, a typically stable player, finished with 18 points on 8 of 16 shots. And Paul Reed played in Embiid’s place with 10 points and 13 rebounds, including four huge free throws on the stretch.
The Sixers got just enough stops on the track, including a “pick-six” steal from Maxey that gave them the lead in the last minute. Doc Rivers did well while shorthanded with the Sixers during his 3-year tenure in Philly, but given the opponent and the circumstances, this was his best win yet. — Hofmann
Rating how the Celtics defended Harden
Should the Celtics Harden have doubled more? Didn’t they double it enough? It depends who you ask about the game. Joe Mazzulla had his reasons for not doubling Harden against that game winner he buried right above Horford, but they ended up losing to a wounded but fierce Sixers team. This was the kind of game the Celtics knew was going to be an uphill battle. They spent the last few days saying that without their MVP, the Sixers would be firing and upping the pace and pressure, but they still couldn’t get over it. – White
Celtics Silver Linings
The silver lining to that loss is that it took one of the best games of Harden’s career to wipe it out. The rotten core is that Maxey had a terrible shooting night and still had 26 points and the crucial steal to turn the game in the last minute. Tatum was great, Malcolm Brogdon carried offense at times and Marcus Smart made some massive plays down the stretch. Then they literally threw it away at the end when the Sixers just wouldn’t budge. – White
backstory
Harden scored 15 of his 45 points in the fourth quarter to lead his team to victory without their MVP nominee and led the 76ers’ 12-4 run to end the game. Maxey came to Harden as the only other 20-point scorer for Philadelphia, losing 26 points and four steals of his own.
Jaylen Brown added efficient performance, recording 23 points, six rebounds and four assists on 8-of-10 shooting. Brogdon, the sixth man of 2023, had 20 points, three rebounds and three assists off the bench.
Boston will host Game 2 on Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET.
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(Photo: Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images)