NBA: Boston Celtics Beat Philadelphia 76ers to Spoil Joel Embiid MVP Moment, Grab 2-1 Playoff Series Lead

Jayson Tatum scored 27 factors to lead six Boston gamers in double figures on Friday because the Celtics beat the Philadelphia 76ers 114-102 to take a 2-1 lead of their NBA Eastern Conference semifinal sequence.

Jaylen Brown added 23 factors and Al Horford scored 17 for the Celtics, who regained dwelling court docket benefit with a second straight victory after dropping recreation one in Boston.

They saved the momentum occurring an emotional night time in Philadelphia, the place Sixers heart Joel Embiid accepted his Most Valuable Player trophy from NBA commissioner Adam Silver in a pregame ceremony.

Embiid scored 30 factors with 13 rebounds and 4 blocked photographs in his second recreation again from a sprained knee.

But teammates James Harden and Tyrese Maxey struggled. Harden related on simply three of 14 photographs on the best way to 16 factors whereas Maxey scored 13 factors on 4-for-16 taking pictures.

Geared up for the hostile setting on the Wells Fargo Center, the Celtics received off to a fast begin, powering to a 14-4 lead.

Tatum, who scored simply seven factors in recreation two, bounced again with a vengeance including 10 rebounds 5 assists, two steals and a blocked shot, placing up 10 factors within the first fur minutes.

The Sixers, nevertheless, saved it shut and led by one after the primary quarter.

They couldn’t keep momentum, nevertheless. They had been down by seven at halftime and by no means led after the break.

Embiid’s tip-in basket with 3:51 remaining pulled Philadelphia inside 4 factors, however Horford responded with a three-pointer and Tatum sank a turnaround basket and the Celtics had been up by 9 once more.

Philadelphia followers had been quickly heading for the exits, a disappointing finish to an evening that started with loud chants of “M-V-P” for Cameroon’s Embiid, who received his trophy with his parents standing by, and addressed spectators holding his toddler son, Arthur — clad in a “My dad is the MVP” shirt.

“Honestly, he’s the primary cause why I’m actually right here,” Embiid said “Becoming a father really changed my whole life. I just wanted to show him a good example.”

The Celtics made certain the feel-good second didn’t final.

“We knew we may win,” Tatum told broadcaster ESPN. “This is a great team, the crowd’s electric, you love being in that environment.

“But we are not surprised. To win a championship you’ve got to win one on the road. We’ll take it.”

In the second recreation of the day’s double-header, the Phoenix Suns aimed to flip issues round on their dwelling flooring towards the top-seeded Nuggets, who gained the primary two video games of their Western Conference semifinal in Denver.

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