Celtics-76ers series shifts to the City of Brotherly Love for Game 3 on TSN
Published
After the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers split the first two games at TD Garden, the series shifts to the City of Brotherly Love for Game 3 with the series advantage up for grabs on TSN.
Game 1 between these two Eastern Conference powerhouses saw vintage James Harden make his return to the hardcourt.
Reminiscent of MVP form during his many seasons in Houston with the Rockets, the highly-decorated three-time scoring champ matched his career playoff high with 45 points in a 119-115 Game 1 win for the 76ers without recently-crowned 2022-23 MVP and teammate Joel Embiid.
Embiid returned for Game 2, though so did the Celtics' offence.
Embiid logged 26:37 minutes of floor time and scored 15 points with three rebounds, but the combination of Celtics snipers Jaylen Brown and Malcolm Brogdon combined for 48 points as the Celtics rolled the 76ers 121-87.
"I felt pretty good to play and I felt like I could help the team,” Embiid said after the loss. "I feel like I just got this out the way. Disappointed by the loss. But that's a step toward getting back to myself.”
Similarly to the Celtics (32-9), the 76ers have seen tremendous success at home under the bright lights of Wells Fargo Center.
The 76ers posted a home record of 29-12 during the regular season and won both of their games in Brooklyn during their first-round sweep of the Nets.
The Celtics, who were 25-16 on the road in the regular season, won two of three games in Atlanta against the Hawks in their first-round series.