The Boston Celtics lost starting forward Gordon Hayward in the first game of their series against the 76ers, but Wednesday night didn’t seem to matter. Thanks to a 128-101 win over the Sixers, the Celtics took a 2-0 lead in the best of seven first-round series. All-Star forward Jayson Tatum once again led the way for the Celtics with 33 points, five rebounds and five assists in 31 minutes of action. The Celtics also received major contributions from Jaylen Brown (20 points, five rebounds) and Kemba Walker (22 points, four rebounds). Marcus Smart and Enes Kanter also both entered with 10 points each.
Joel Embiid ran the Sixers with 34 points and 10 rebounds, but his output wasn’t enough to propel Philly to a much needed win. The fact that the Sixers are missing forward Ben Simmons, who has been sidelined for the series following knee surgery, has been evident on both ends of the pitch so far in this series. The Sixers struggled to block Boston’s perimeter players in defense, and also struggled to generate open opportunities on the offensive side. It was certainly a tough night for Philadelphia, but the players don’t have time to put their heads down as they will have to regroup and try to bounce back in Game 3 on Friday night.
Below you can find three main tips from Game 2:
1. The 76ers still don’t have an answer for Tatum
After Tatum had a monstrous performance in Game 1 and became the youngest Celtics player to record a 30-10 stats line in a playoff match, the Sixers were hoping that the inclusion of rookie defender Matisse Thybulle in the lineup of departure would help slow Tatum down. Unfortunately for Philadelphia, it didn’t happen that way. Tatum had another great game and became only the third player in Celtics history to connect with eight or more 3 points in a playoff match.
This is one area where the Sixers miss Ben Simmons in a major way. Simmons is one of the best perimeter defenders in the NBA. If he were healthy, he would spend a lot of time on Tatum. Philadelphia has been struggling a lot and doesn’t seem to have an answer on the active roster when it comes to slowing down Tatum.
2. Embiid is in dire need of help
Embiid has had a very solid streak for the Sixers, averaging 30 points and 13 rebounds per game so far, but he hasn’t had enough help. With Simmons sidelined, the Sixers need all of their other key contributors to come forward, and it just hasn’t happened. The Sixers signed both Tobias Harris and Al Hoford to massive contracts last season, and neither have been able to provide anything in relation to how much they get paid. Horford combined for 10 points in his first two games and Harris, a player who should have been top scorer for Philadelphia, scored a total of 28. That would be acceptable for a playoff game, but certainly not for two. It will already be an uphill battle, and the Sixers will have absolutely no chance to move forward in this series if they don’t get a lot more production from the other guys around Embiid who are supposed to be key contributors.
3. The Celtics dominate the battle of the benches
After the Celtics lost Hayward for the rest of the series, it looked like their depth, or lack thereof, could become an issue. However, the reverse happened in Game 2. Led by Enes Kanter (10 points) and Grant Williams (nine points), the Boston bench outperformed second unit Philadelphia 41-20, and the reserves played an important role in the team victory. On the other hand, Philadelphia’s top two bench players – Horford and Burks – joined for just six points total, and were completely unable to deliver any kind of pine spark. If this trend continues, the Sixers will have almost no chance of returning to the series, as the Celtics already have the most talented top five of the Sixers.
