Depleted Celtics still have enough to claim 1-0 lead NBA PLAYOFFS

The Philadelphia Inquirer

BOSTON» With Jaylen Brown unable to play, some thought the already undermanned Boston Celtics would be easy pickings for the 76ers.

That was far from the truth, as the Celtics were anything but helpless.

In fact, the Sixers could have used some bodies, as Boston took a 117-101 victory in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals Monday night at TD Garden.

Brown missed the game with a strained right hamstring. The Celtics were also without Kyrie Irving (left knee), Gordon Hayward (left ankle), and Daniel Theis (left knee), who all suffered season-ending injuries.

But Jayson Tatum, Al Horford, and Terry Rozier more than made up for their absence.

Rozier had 29 points while making 7 of 9 3-pointers. Tatum had 28 points, and Horford added 26. The All-Star post player made 10 of 12 shots.

As good as the Celtics were, the Sixers’ repeated defensive miscues also contributed to the outcome. A prime example came with the Celtics up 97-88. Shane Larkin and Horford orchestrated a pick-and-roll. JJ Redick, who was guarding Larkin, went under Horford’s pick before picking up the reserve point guard again. Joel Embiid also followed Larkin, leaving Horford wide-open.

Larkin found the big man, who buried a 3-pointer to put the Celtics up 12 with 5 minutes, 32 seconds left.

The Celtics played with physicality and were more aggressive.

Embiid finished with a game high of 31 points and 13 rebounds. Redick had 20 points, but made just 2 of 7 3-pointers. Ben Simmons had 18 points, seven rebounds, and six assists. Robert Covington struggled, scoring three points on 0-for-6 shooting, missing all four of his threepoint attempts. The Sixers shot 19.2 percent (5 of 26) as a team on 3-pointers.

The Celtics built a commanding 19-point lead late in the fourth quarter.

Brown was sidelined after straining his right hamstring in the first half Saturday against the Milwaukee Bucks. He didn’t play in the second half of that Game 7. He was listed as doubtful heading into the game Monday night.

To combat Embiid, the Celtics inserted center Aaron Baynes back into the starting lineup. Semi Ojeleye had started at power forward in the previous three games, with Horford, the normal power forward, moving to center.