Philadelphia 76ers @ Boston Celtics
Tuesday, February 27, 2024 at 7:30 PM ET
TD Garden, Boston, MA | Game ID: 22300836
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
BOS 30 23 33 31 117PHI 30 21 24 24 99
ESPN UpdateESPN Update
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.
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
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