Celtics at 76ers
The Boston Celtics look to avoid a launch of confetti and finish off the Eastern Conference semifinal series Monday night when they visit the Philadelphia 76ers for Game 4. The Celtics received 24 points from rookie Jayson Tatum while Al Horford scored the final five of the game as they earned a stunning 101-98 overtime victory Saturday and took a commanding 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.
Marco Belinelli’s jumper with less than a second left in the fourth quarter caused confetti to fill the air at the Wells Fargo Center, but his foot was inside the 3-point line and it only tied the game before Boston rallied in overtime. “I’ve seen crazier things that happened,” Celtics guard Jaylen Brown told reporters after scoring 16 points off the bench. “The win just was the confetti for us. So we’ll take it like that.” Joel Embiid scored 22 points and grabbed 19 rebounds, but the 76ers shot just 39.2 percent from the field Saturday while turning the ball over in key situations and now are forced to buck NBA history as all 129 teams have failed to win a series after falling behind 3-0. “Teams that are down 3-0 have a record of (0-129),” Philadelphia coach Brett Brown told reporters. “Think about that. Just think about that number. The number is 0. The number to me, 0, happens more out of spirit than talent. Like there’s a breaking point we all have and I believe that if we can maintain our spirit, why couldn’t we be the one and I mean that.”
TV: 6 p.m. ET, TNT
ABOUT THE CELTICS: Horford scored seven of his 13 points in overtime and had a key steal in the final seconds that snuffed out a chance for Philadelphia to win the contest. “Al is our leader,” Tatum told reporters. “He’s been in the playoffs every year, so he’s been in every situation possible. He’s always making sure we’re in the right situations, and we know we can look toward him to make the right play.” Tatum is averaging 24.3 points in the series and guard Terry Rozier continues to shine while leading the team in scoring during the playoffs (19.0) and providing 22.3 per game the past three.
ABOUT THE 76ERS: Rookie Ben Simmons rebounded from a rough Game 2 (one point, five turnovers) to score 16 while recording eight rebounds and eight assists in Saturday’s setback. “I have a lot of growing to do,” Simmons told ESPN.com. “This is the first time I’ve played in the playoffs, and I’m learning a lot. It’s a great opportunity for myself and the team. We’re all learning together. There’s a lot of lessons. I think they’re all very important.” Embiid has registered five straight double-doubles in the playoffs and guard J.J. Redick is averaging 20.3 points in the series with 10 made 3-pointers.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Philadelphia F Robert Covington had just one point in Saturday’s loss on 0-for-8 from the field after scoring 22 in Game 2.
2. Rozier, who averaged 11.3 points in the regular season, is 18-for-34 from behind the arc over the last four games.
3. Philadelphia F Dario Saric is 5-of-23 from 3-point range in the last five games after draining 11-of-23 in the first three playoff contests.