Game ID: 22300836
Philadelphia 76ers @ Boston Celtics
Tuesday, February 27, 2024 at 7:30 PM ET
TD Garden, Boston, MA
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
BOS 30 23 33 31 117PHI 30 21 24 24 99
BOS vs PHI ScoutingBOS vs PHI Scouting
Welcome to the scouting desk. The coffee is cold, the film is play-by-play, and somebody has to explain what happened.
Every game has a hinge — a stretch where it was decided, usually while everyone was watching something else. Start where the evidence lives: the Lineups' face-offs say which five actually won their minutes; the Possessions ledger says who ran ahead of the night's own pace; the Shot Chart says where the points really came from, which is rarely where the highlights were. When all three agree, that is the story. When they don't — that is why this desk has a chair.
BOS availability going into 2/13 · 1 day's restOUT Queta missed 3 since 2/07, out tonight
BACK Kornet back 2/04 after 3, 12 min since (84% of 15)
BOS availability going into 2/14 · back-to-backOUT Queta missed 4 since 2/07, returns tonight: 13 min (118% of 11)
BACK Kornet back 2/04 after 3, 13 min since (87% of 15)
BOS availability going into 2/22 · 7 days' restBACK Queta back 2/14 after 4, 13 min since (118% of 11)
BOS availability going into 2/24 · 1 day's restBACK Queta back 2/14 after 4, 13 min since (118% of 11)
BOS availability going into 2/27 · 2 days' restOUT Queta missed 2 since 2/22, out tonight
BOS availability going into 3/01 · 2 days' restOUT Tillman missed 2 since 2/24, returns tonight: 15 min (123% of 12)
OUT Queta missed 3 since 2/22, out tonight
BOS availability going into 3/03 · 1 day's restOUT Queta missed 4 since 2/22, out tonight
BACK Tillman back 3/01 after 2, 15 min since (123% of 12)
BOS availability going into 3/05 · 1 day's restOUT Queta missed 5 since 2/22, out tonight
BACK Tillman back 3/01 after 2, 16 min since (134% of 12)
BOS availability going into 3/07 · 1 day's restOUT Queta missed 6 since 2/22, out tonight
BACK Tillman back 3/01 after 2, 16 min since (134% of 12)
PHI availability going into 2/14 · 1 day's restOUT Embiid missed 7 since 2/01, out tonight
OUT Melton missed 16 since 1/15, out tonight
OUT Batum missed 8 since 1/30, out tonight
OUT Covington missed 21 since 1/02, out tonight
NEW Hield 24 to 37 min over the last 3
NEW Reed 19 to 27 min over the last 5
NEW Payne 18 to 27 min over the last 3
NEW Martin 12 to 20 min over the last 5
PHI availability going into 2/22 · 7 days' restOUT Embiid missed 8 since 2/01, out tonight
OUT Harris missed 2 since 2/12, returns tonight: 27 min (78% of 34)
OUT Melton missed 17 since 1/15, out tonight
OUT Batum missed 9 since 1/30, returns tonight: 18 min (69% of 26)
OUT Covington missed 22 since 1/02, out tonight
NEW Hield 24 to 39 min over the last 4
NEW Reed 19 to 31 min over the last 5
NEW Payne 18 to 26 min over the last 4
NEW Martin 12 to 25 min over the last 5
PHI availability going into 2/23 · back-to-backOUT Embiid missed 9 since 2/01, out tonight
OUT Melton missed 18 since 1/15, returns tonight: 16 min (61% of 26)
OUT Covington missed 23 since 1/02, out tonight
BACK Harris back 2/22 after 2, 27 min since (78% of 34)
BACK Batum back 2/22 after 9, 18 min since (69% of 26)
NEW Oubre Jr. 31 to 37 min over the last 5
NEW Hield 24 to 38 min over the last 5
NEW Reed 19 to 29 min over the last 5
NEW Martin 12 to 23 min over the last 5
PHI availability going into 2/25 · 1 day's restOUT Embiid missed 10 since 2/01, out tonight
OUT Covington missed 24 since 1/02, out tonight
BACK Harris back 2/22 after 2, 30 min since (89% of 34)
BACK Melton back 2/23 after 18, 16 min since (61% of 26)
BACK Batum back 2/22 after 9, 9 min since (35% of 26)
NEW Hield 24 to 36 min over the last 5
NEW Reed 19 to 29 min over the last 5
NEW Martin 12 to 23 min over the last 5
PHI availability going into 2/27 · 1 day's restOUT Embiid missed 11 since 2/01, out tonight
OUT Covington missed 25 since 1/02, out tonight
BACK Harris back 2/22 after 2, 31 min since (90% of 34)
BACK Melton back 2/23 after 18, 17 min since (65% of 26)
BACK Batum back 2/22 after 9, 12 min since (45% of 26)
NEW Hield 24 to 34 min over the last 5
NEW Reed 19 to 30 min over the last 5
NEW Martin 12 to 23 min over the last 4
PHI availability going into 3/01 · 2 days' restOUT Embiid missed 12 since 2/01, out tonight
OUT Covington missed 26 since 1/02, out tonight
OUT Martin missed 2 since 2/25, out tonight
BACK Harris back 2/22 after 2, 30 min since (89% of 34)
BACK Melton back 2/23 after 18, 14 min since (55% of 26)
BACK Batum back 2/22 after 9, 14 min since (53% of 26)
NEW Hield 24 to 33 min over the last 5
NEW Reed 19 to 27 min over the last 5
PHI availability going into 3/03 · 1 day's restOUT Embiid missed 13 since 2/01, out tonight
OUT Covington missed 27 since 1/02, out tonight
OUT Martin missed 3 since 2/25, returns tonight: 4 min (36% of 12)
BACK Harris back 2/22 after 2, 32 min since (95% of 34)
BACK Melton back 2/23 after 18, 14 min since (55% of 26)
BACK Batum back 2/22 after 9, 17 min since (63% of 26)
NEW Hield 24 to 31 min over the last 5
PHI availability going into 3/05 · 1 day's restOUT Embiid missed 14 since 2/01, out tonight
OUT Melton missed 2 since 3/01, out tonight
OUT Covington missed 28 since 1/02, out tonight
BACK Martin back 3/03 after 3, 4 min since (36% of 12)
NEW Hield 24 to 30 min over the last 5
NEW Reed 19 to 25 min over the last 5
PHI availability going into 3/06 · back-to-backOUT Embiid missed 15 since 2/01, out tonight
OUT Melton missed 3 since 3/01, out tonight
OUT Covington missed 29 since 1/02, out tonight
BACK Martin back 3/03 after 3, 8 min since (64% of 12)
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Boston comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 122 a night and allowing 103, shooting 54 percent and 45 from three, 17 free throws a game; Tatum at 26 and Brown at 22 a game. That is 5 straight wins. 2 days' rest. Philadelphia comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 105 a night and allowing 111, shooting 45 percent and 36 from three, 15 free throws a game; Maxey at 27 and Hield at 17 a game. Without Embiid (11 straight), Covington (25 straight). One day's rest.
So: Boston wins, and the game turns on the arc, Boston at 45 percent from three to Philadelphia's 36 and the defense, Boston allowing 103 a night to Philadelphia's 111. Call it Boston 118, Philadelphia 108, Boston by 10.
2/13 @ BKN 118-110 — BOS notes
BOS won 118-110. BOS shot 52% (43 of 83) to BKN's 49%, 15 of 37 from three. Tatum led with 41 (14 of 26, 5 of 11 from three, 8 of 8 at the line); Brown added 19, White 16. The hinge was Q2, 36-27: a lead of 6 became 15, and the lead reached 23. Tatum was the night's best plus/minus at +21.
2/14 vs BKN 136-86 — BOS notes
BOS won 136-86. BOS shot 57% (52 of 91) to BKN's 38%, 22 of 45 from three. The glass went 51-31 for them. Pritchard led with 28 (11 of 16, 6 of 9 from three); White added 27, Tatum 20. The hinge was Q2, 38-17: a lead of 15 became 36, and the lead reached 56. White was the night's best plus/minus at +44.
2/22 @ CHI 129-112 — BOS notes
BOS won 129-112. BOS shot 54% (45 of 83) to CHI's 47%, 23 of 47 from three. White led with 28 (9 of 14, 5 of 10 from three); Tatum added 25, Brown 21. The hinge was Q3, 37-21: BOS came in trailing by 3 and left it ahead by 13, and the lead reached 21. BOS trailed 59-62 at the half and won the second half 70-50. Brown was the night's best plus/minus at +19.
2/24 @ NYK 116-102 — BOS notes
BOS won 116-102. BOS shot 57% (46 of 81) to NYK's 45%, 15 of 35 from three. BOS turned it over 7 times to NYK's 13. Brown led with 30 (13 of 24, 3 of 9 from three); Porziņģis added 22, Tatum 19. The hinge was Q3, 35-26: a lead of 4 became 13, and the lead reached 20. Tatum was the night's best plus/minus at +15.
2/27 vs PHI 117-99 — BOS notes
BOS won 117-99. BOS shot 53% (39 of 74) to PHI's 39%, 5 of 22 from three, and went to the line 37 times to PHI's 12 — 34 points from the stripe to their 11. BOS turned it over 14 times to PHI's 9. The glass went 56-28 for them. Brown led with 31 (11 of 14, 8 of 10 at the line); Tatum added 29, Porziņģis 23. The hinge was Q3, 33-24: a lead of 2 became 11, and the lead reached 20. White was the night's best plus/minus at +31.
3/01 vs DAL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Boston comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 123 a night and allowing 102, shooting 55 percent and 43 from three, 21 free throws a game; Tatum at 27 and Brown at 25 a game. That is 5 straight wins. It has won the glass by 8 a night. 2 days' rest. Dallas comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 121 a night and allowing 117, shooting 51 percent and 40 from three, 18 free throws a game; Dončić at 35 and Irving at 30 a game. One day's rest.
So: Boston wins, and the game turns on the defense, Boston allowing 102 a night to Dallas's 117 and the glass, where Boston has been plus-8 a night and Dallas minus-1. Call it Boston 121, Dallas 112.
3/03 vs GSW — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Boston comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 127 a night and allowing 102, shooting 55 percent and 45 from three, 19 free throws a game; Brown at 27 and Tatum at 25 a game. That is 5 straight wins. It has won the glass by 8 a night. One day's rest. Golden State comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 104, shooting 45 percent and 37 from three, 17 free throws a game; Curry at 22 and Kuminga at 19 a game. That is 3 straight wins. Without Wiggins (3 straight). One day's rest.
So: Boston wins, and the game turns on the arc, Boston at 45 percent from three to Golden State's 37 and the turnovers, Golden State giving it away 16 times a game to Boston's 10. Call it Boston 118, Golden State 110.
3/05 @ CLE — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Cleveland comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 113, shooting 46 percent and 41 from three, 20 free throws a game; Mitchell at 22 and Garland at 19 a game. Without Mitchell (2 straight), LeVert (2 straight). One day's rest. Boston comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 128 a night and allowing 102, shooting 55 percent and 45 from three, 19 free throws a game; Brown at 27 and Tatum at 26 a game. That is 5 straight wins. It has won the glass by 5 a night. One day's rest.
So: Boston wins, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where Boston has been plus-5 a night and Cleveland minus-3 and the defense, Boston allowing 102 a night to Cleveland's 113. Call it Boston 117, Cleveland 111.
3/07 @ DEN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Denver comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 105, shooting 49 percent and 38 from three, 16 free throws a game; Jokić at 25 and Murray at 23 a game. One day's rest. Boston comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 123 a night and allowing 101, shooting 52 percent and 43 from three, 17 free throws a game; Brown at 27 and Tatum at 27 a game. It has won the glass by 9 a night. One day's rest.
So: Boston wins, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where Boston has been plus-9 a night and Denver plus-3 and the arc, Boston at 43 percent from three to Denver's 38. Call it Boston 114, Denver 111, Denver keeping it close.
2/14 vs MIA 104-109 — PHI notes
PHI lost 104-109. PHI shot 48% (41 of 86) to MIA's 48%, 10 of 35 from three. Maxey led with 30 (12 of 23, 2 of 7 from three); Hield added 22, Reed 18. Q2 was theirs, 29-27, but the other 3 periods went 82-75 against them. Hield's -8 in 44 minutes was the worst on the floor.
2/22 vs NYK 96-110 — PHI notes
PHI lost 96-110. PHI shot 44% (37 of 84) to NYK's 48%, 10 of 29 from three, and got to the line 14 times to NYK's 27. Maxey led with 35 (11 of 24, 4 of 11 from three, 9 of 9 at the line); Oubre Jr. added 14, Hield 14. Q3 was theirs, 35-22, the deficit cut from 23 to 10, but the other 3 periods went 88-61 against them. Harris's -15 in 27 minutes was the worst on the floor.
2/23 vs CLE 104-97 — PHI notes
PHI won 104-97. PHI shot 44% (40 of 90) to CLE's 42%, 12 of 29 from three, and got to the line 15 times to CLE's 31. Maxey led with 24 (9 of 22, 2 of 5 from three); Payne added 16, Harris 15. The hinge was Q2, 28-25: from level to 3 ahead. Harris was the night's best plus/minus at +9.
2/25 vs MIL 98-119 — PHI notes
PHI lost 98-119. PHI took 18 more shots (97 to 79), fed by 13 offensive rebounds, but shot 37% to MIL's 54%, 16 of 46 from three, and got to the line just 11 times against 18 fouls committed. PHI turned it over 10 times to MIL's 18. Maxey led with 24 (8 of 19, 3 of 8 from three); Melton added 16, Reed 13. Q3 was theirs, 34-26, the deficit cut from 21 to 13, but the other 3 periods went 93-64 against them. Oubre Jr.'s -21 in 29 minutes was the worst on the floor.
2/27 @ BOS 99-117 — PHI notes
PHI lost 99-117. PHI took 20 more shots (94 to 74), but shot 39% to BOS's 53%, 14 of 42 from three, and got to the line just 12 times against 23 fouls committed. PHI turned it over 9 times to BOS's 14. The glass went 28-56 against them. Maxey led with 32 (12 of 24, 4 of 12 from three); Council IV added 16, Harris 13. Q1 was theirs, 30-30, but the other 3 periods went 87-69 against them. Maxey's -24 in 37 minutes was the worst on the floor.
3/01 vs CHA — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Philadelphia comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 100 a night and allowing 110, shooting 42 percent and 34 from three, 14 free throws a game; Maxey at 29 and Hield at 13 a game. It has lost the glass by 7 a night. Without Embiid (12 straight), Covington (26 straight). 2 days' rest. Charlotte comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 95 a night and allowing 104, shooting 42 percent and 33 from three, 17 free throws a game; Bridges at 19 and Miller at 16 a game. It has lost the glass by 11 a night. Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Philadelphia wins, and the game turns on the defense, Charlotte allowing 104 a night to Philadelphia's 110. Call it Philadelphia 112, Charlotte 104.
3/03 @ DAL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Dallas comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 120 a night and allowing 126, shooting 50 percent and 38 from three, 19 free throws a game; Dončić at 37 and Irving at 27 a game. It has lost the glass by 4 a night. One day's rest. Philadelphia comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 104 a night and allowing 111, shooting 43 percent and 37 from three, 13 free throws a game; Maxey at 30 and Harris at 15 a game. Without Embiid (13 straight), Covington (27 straight). One day's rest.
So: Dallas wins, and the game turns on the defense, Philadelphia allowing 111 a night to Dallas's 126 and the line, where Dallas takes 19 free throws a game to Philadelphia's 13. Call it Dallas 117, Philadelphia 115, Philadelphia keeping it close.
3/05 @ BKN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Brooklyn comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 106 a night and allowing 100, shooting 46 percent and 39 from three, 19 free throws a game; Cam. Johnson at 18 and Schröder at 17 a game. Without Thomas (4 straight), Clowney (7 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. Philadelphia comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 108 a night and allowing 113, shooting 43 percent and 36 from three, 16 free throws a game; Maxey at 27 and Harris at 19 a game. Without Embiid (14 straight), Melton (2 straight), Covington (28 straight). One day's rest.
So: Brooklyn wins, and the game turns on the defense, Brooklyn allowing 100 a night to Philadelphia's 113 and the turnovers, Brooklyn giving it away 12 times a game to Philadelphia's 9. Call it Brooklyn 112, Philadelphia 109, Philadelphia keeping it close.
3/06 vs MEM — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Philadelphia comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 116, shooting 44 percent and 37 from three, 17 free throws a game; Maxey at 28 and Harris at 20 a game. It has lost the glass by 5 a night. Without Embiid (15 straight), Melton (3 straight), Covington (29 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. Memphis comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 97 a night and allowing 110, shooting 41 percent and 33 from three, 25 free throws a game; Kennard at 14 and Stevens at 12 a game. Without Bane (24 straight), Jackson Jr. (3 straight), Pippen Jr. (8 straight). One day's rest.
So: Philadelphia wins, and the game turns on the turnovers, Memphis giving it away 18 times a game to Philadelphia's 9 and the line, where Memphis takes 25 free throws a game to Philadelphia's 17. Call it Philadelphia 113, Memphis 107.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
BOSAH A. Horford
DW D. White
JB J. Brown
JH J. Holiday
JS J. Springer
JT J. Tatum
KP K. Porziņģis
LK L. Kornet
OB O. Brissett
PP P. Pritchard
PO Porzingis
SH S. Hauser
PHIBH B. Hield
CP C. Payne
DB D. Bazley
DM D. Melton
KL K. Lowry
KO K. Oubre Jr.
MB M. Bamba
NB N. Batum
PR P. Reed
RC R. Council IV
TH T. Harris
TM T. Maxey
BOS/PHI the team itself, not a player
-- the feed named nobody
What
What happened
the codes in the Events column
M2 / M3 made 2 / made 3
X2 / X3 missed 2 / missed 3
FT / X1 free throw made / missed
AST assist
OR / DR offensive / defensive rebound
STL steal
BLK block
TO turnover
FL foul
OF offensive foul — ends the possession
VIOL violation
JUMP jump ball
TM timeout
IR instant replay
HE heave at the buzzer, filed to the team
END the clock ran out, ball in hand
Where
Where a shot came from
the middle field of M3.LW.25
RM at the rim inside 4 ft
RC right corner
RW right wing
SO straight on
LW left wing
LC left corner
M3.LW.25 made 3, left wing, 25 ft
X2.RM.01 missed 2, at the rim, 1 ft
When
When it happened
the Offset column
one number per event, in the Events order:
whole seconds from the start of the
possession to that event
Events FL X3.RC.23 OR M2.RM.01
Offset 0 18 22 24
the foul opens the possession at 0s;
the putback ends it at 24s, which is
the possession's own Dur
Jaylen Brown scores 31, Celtics pull away in fourth to beat 76ers 117-99
BOSTON -- — Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla doesn’t mind if his team struggles at times, if it learns and adapts along the way.
Boston had to do that against a 76ers team that limited the 3-pointers the Celtics often use to overwhelm opponents.
The result was what Mazzulla said afterward was one of its best games of the season.
Jaylen Brown scored 31 points and the Celtics earned their ninth straight win, powering past Philadelphia 117-99 on Tuesday night.
Brown said the victory was an example of how this team has grown this season.
“There’s a multitude of ways you can win throughout the course of a game,” Brown said. "We got to the free-throw line, we got downhill, made some points in the paint that helped us. ...They got like 20 more shots than us, but if you make free throws and you’re aggressive, it can balance out.”
Jayson Tatum added 29 points, including 15 in the fourth quarter, to help the NBA-leading Celtics post their 25th consecutive home win over an Eastern Conference opponent.
Boston won despite connecting on just 5-of-22 3-pointers and committing 14 turnovers. But the Celtics outscored Philadelphia 64-48 in the second half and dominated with a 56-28 rebounding edge.
“We were able to win a different way,” Mazzulla said. “We've never said we have to win (shooting 3s). We always take what the defense gives us and we're one of the best teams doing that. And that's kind of our offensive philosophy — take the best shot and find the best shot.”
Mazzulla said he also enjoyed this game because it was an example of how Brown's game “is being defined by playmaking in general.”
“He’s just always in attack mode. I love what Jaylen is doing," Mazzulla said. "He’s really reading the game and taking advantage of it.”
Tyrese Maxey led the 76ers with 32 points and five assists. Philadelphia has lost four of its last five and is just 4-8 since Joel Embiid was sidelined with a knee injury.
The 76ers cut what had been a 14-point deficit to 11 entering the fourth and made another surge to trim Boston’s lead to 91-89 with 8:49 to play.
The Celtics responded with 17 straight points, including eight from Tatum, to give themselves a 107-89 cushion with 4:31 remaining.
“A few missed shots led to transition for them and that opened up the game right there,” Philadelphia's Tobias Harris said.
Boston took a 53-51 edge into halftime, keyed by Brown’s 18 points in the opening 24 minutes.
Derrick White had three blocks in first quarter, part of a defensive effort that limited the 76ers to 39% shooting in the half.
The 76ers have slowly been getting players back from injury since sputtering into the All-Star break by losing five out of seven games.
Nicolas Batum (hamstring), De’Anthony Melton (back) and Kyle Lowry (conditioning) all were in action but were on minutes restrictions.
It didn’t prevent Melton from exiting in the second half with back spasms. He went 0 for 2 from the field and registered a rebound and assist over nine minutes.
In Lowry’s case it was just his third appearance since being bought out by Charlotte and being signed by the 76ers on Feb. 13.
The extra bodies did give Philadelphia an energy boost early, as it jumped out to an 11-4 lead to open the game. But Boston quickly erased it, responding with an 11-0 run.