Celtics rally to grab 2-0 lead over Sixers
CELTICS 108, 76ERS 103
BOSTON Rookie Jayson Tatum scored 21 points and hit a pair of free throws in the closing seconds as the Boston Celtics rallied from a 22-point deficit Thursday to beat the Philadelphia 76ers 108-103 and take a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Terry Rozier added 20 points, nine assists and seven rebounds. Marcus Smart finished with 19 points and five rebounds as the Celtics improved to 6-0 at TD Garden this post-season. They have never blown a 2-0 lead.
Game 3 is Saturday in Philadelphia.
J.J. Redick had 23 points for the 76ers, making five three-pointers. Robert Covington added 22 points and nine rebounds. Joel Embiid finished with 20 points, 14 rebounds and five assists.
Philadelphia recovered after squandering its big lead to nudge back in front 93-88 midway through the fourth quarter. But an 11-4 run put Boston back in the lead 99-95 with less than four minutes to play.
It was 101-97 when a missed Philadelphia jumper led to a fast break and alley-oop dunk from Rozier to Tatum with 2:23 left.
A layup by Dario Saric cut it to 104-101. But Al Horford was able to drive past Embiid for a layup with 8.3 seconds left.
Saric scored out of a timeout to make it 106-103. The Sixers quickly fouled Tatum, who calmly hit a pair of free throws.
Following an anemic offensive effort in Game 1, the Sixers looked rejuvenated early in Game 2, using a 14-2 run to begin the second quarter on their way to building a 48-26 lead.
It didn’t last.
The Celtics responded by ending the half on a 25-8 run. It included three straight three-pointers and a tip-dunk by Jaylen Brown, who returned to action after sitting out the series opener with a strained right hamstring. He came off the bench and scored 13 points while grabbing four rebounds.