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We Have Ourselves a Series After Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe Torch Celtics in Game 2
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WE WANT BOSTON!
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WE WANT BOSTON!
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We officially have ourselves a series after the Embiid-less Sixers dispatched the Boston Celtics 111 to 97 in Game 2. They took control in the third quarter, opened up decent lead, watched that lead shrink to two points, then fought off a Boston run with a barrage of three pointers from Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe, and Kelly Oubre Jr. –
The Sixers shot a healthy 19-39 from three (49%) and turned the ball over just seven times. That, with 12 offensive rebounds, essentially wiped out the shot total difference from Boston grabbing 18 OREBs of their own. This Celtics team shot just 13-50 from three (26%) and hit just 39% from the floor after putting up 123 points in Game 1 on 50% field goal shooting.
It was the first time since a March 22nd loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves that the Celtics were held to less than 100 points.
Story of the game? The Sixers’ guard play. Maxey and Edgecombe combined to shoot 23-48 from the floor and 11-22 from three. They grabbed 14 rebounds, threw 11 assists, and combined for four steals while committing just two personal fouls. Paul George and Oubre chipped in 31 while Andre Drummond put up a clean 10 and 8 in 26 minutes off the bench. As for Adem Bona, well, he also played in this game.
Most importantly, they responded from a Game 1 ass kicking in which they didn’t look like they belonged on the same floor as the Cs. They were as good in this game as they were bad in that one, and in a Philly sports world currently dominated by the Flyers’ surprise playoff run, the Sixers are flying under the radar a bit as we hope for a Joel Embiid return. Does he make it back to play in this series? Hard to say, but the rest of the group is keeping this thing alive in his absence.
We’re all tied up 1-1 and coming back to Philadelphia on Friday night. By that point, it will have been two full weeks since Joel’s surgery.
Fingers crossed. You never know.
Kevin has been writing about Philadelphia sports since 2009. He spent seven years in the CBS 3 sports department and started with the Union during the team's 2010 inaugural season. He went to the academic powerhouses of Boyertown High School and West Virginia University. email - k.kinkead@sportradar.com