Tatum shines, Brown returns as Celtics beat 76ers
BOSTON — Rookie Jayson Tatum scored 21 points and hit a pair of free throws in the closing second, and the Boston Celtics rallied from a 22-point deficit to beat the Philadelphia 76ers 108-103 on Thursday night 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 postseason. 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 3-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 2-on-1 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 106103. 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.
KNICKS AGREE TO DEAL WITH FIZDALE TO BE NEW COACH: A person with knowledge of the details says the New York Knicks have agreed to hire David Fizdale as their new coach. The former Memphis Grizzlies coach will replace Jeff Hornacek, who was fired last month after two seasons. The Knicks then conducted a lengthy search before agreeing Thursday to a deal in principle with Fizdale, the person told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the deal was not officially announced. ESPN first reported the agreement with Fizdale.