Already down three of their starters to start the sport, the Celtics have been thrown one other wrench at halftime.
Jaylen Brown collided with an errant elbow from Jayson Tatum, and was knocked out of the sport, a brutal blow towards Joel Embiid and the surging 76ers.
But these Celtics appear targeted on heading into the All-Star break on a excessive word. Not even shedding almost their complete beginning lineup deterred them.
As shorthanded as they’ve been all season, the Celtics survived. Tatum solely scored 12 factors, however on the eve of the commerce deadline, Boston’s depth confirmed itself once more as one of many largest the explanation why they’re firmly atop the Eastern Conference. Behind their hottest outdoors taking pictures night time of the season, the Celtics held off the Sixers with a 106-99 victory at TD Garden.
The Celtics, although, is perhaps with out one in every of their All-Stars for a piece of time.
Brown was knocked out of the sport with 1:27 left within the first half, when he and Tatum went up concurrently for an offensive rebound on the baseline. Tatum inadvertently elbowed Brown within the face, sending Brown to the ground for a number of moments earlier than he received up instantly headed straight to the locker room holding his face. Brown was dominated out at halftime with a facial contusion.
Celtics interim head coach Joe Mazzulla mentioned he tried calling Brown after the sport however he didn’t reply. The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported Brown suffered a facial fracture and could possibly be sidelined via the All-Star break.
“He was quiet. He was in a lot of pain,” mentioned Malcolm Brogdon. “Just told him to feel better. There’s nothing I think we can do for him. But he was in a lot of pain when he left, so we’ll pray for him.”
The Celtics, for a minimum of one night time, persevered with out him.
The C’s shot 54.3% from 3-point vary, their greatest mark of the season to gas this win. Blake Griffin made 5 triples, and Sam Hauser and Grant Williams every hit 4. Brogdon and Derrick White each scored 19 factors, and that was much more essential within the face of absences and a sluggish scoring night time from Tatum, who shot 5-for-15 from the ground and was largely a non-factor within the fourth quarter. But he nonetheless made an influence with 9 assists, which Brogdon thought was vital.
“I thought everybody who touched the floor tonight played well. It’s really that simple,” Brogdon mentioned. “I assumed J.T. truthfully had a particularly well-rounded recreation. Super unselfish. If he wasn’t as unselfish as he was, all people couldn’t have contributed the way in which they did, and we wouldn’t have received the sport.
“To have a superstar, an MVP candidate be that unselfish, not that worried about his points, especially an ESPN game against Joel Embiid. There’s a lot on the line, a lot going on. If he was selfish, he could have got his 40 points, but he wants to win. My hat goes off to him, especially.”
Added Grant Williams on Tatum: “That’s what MVPs do. Even when necessarily they’re not getting 30 points a night and everything like that, they still impact winning. And that’s what he did tonight.”
In addition to the continued absence of Marcus Smart, the C’s have been lacking beginning massive males Al Horford and Robert Williams – a tall activity towards Embiid. But with the likes of Griffin, Grant Williams and Luke Kornet, they restricted the Sixers star to twenty-eight factors, with solely 14 coming after the primary quarter.
After the undermanned Celtics led at halftime, the Sixers fought again to tie the sport at 64 on James Harden’s layup. But the C’s responded with continued sizzling taking pictures from their unlikely supply. Griffin knocked down two extra 3-pointers wrapped round a Tatum dunk to finish an 8-0 C’s run.
The Celtics stayed in entrance behind their sizzling taking pictures. The Sixers minimize it to 1 on Embiid’s layup with 1:21 left within the interval however the C’s regained their cushion with triples from Hauser and White to present them a seven-point lead coming into the fourth.
Then, with out Tatum, the Celtics’ second unit continued to outlive. They led by seven with 8:30 remaining when White ignited an enormous sequence, chasing down Tobias Harris for an absurd block earlier than Hauser drained a nook 3 the opposite method to give the C’s a 10-point lead. They led by 11 after Brogdon’s three-point play earlier than getting sloppy on offense. Tatum missed a pair of 3s and Brogdon dedicated a turnover, opening the door for a Sixers run. They minimize it to 3 when Harden made one in every of two free throws after a questionable foul name on Brogdon.
But the C’s had solutions. With a half-second remaining on the shot clock, White discovered Luke Kornet for an alley-oop and White hit a 3-pointer to revive the result in six with 2:09 to go, they usually didn’t look again.
Their depth, as soon as once more, withstood an enormous take a look at.
“Depth is what people talk about in the playoffs,” Brogdon mentioned. “The deepest team is going to win. I think we go, 8-9 deep, like starters type level of depth. On nights like tonight, that’s what we really can prove how deep we are, how good our team is, how well-rounded we are, and we did.”
Source: www.bostonherald.com