The Celtics remained perfect at home, advancing to 9-0 at TD Garden with their 125-119 win over the shorthanded Philadelphia 76ers.
Friday night marked the 12th meeting between Boston and Philadelphia since May 1 (including playoffs and preseason) and the third meeting this season. The Celtics lead the season series 2-1.
Due to illness, the 76ers were without reigning MVP Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey, but the undermanned 76ers did not roll over against the Celtics.
Overall, it was a frustrating night for the C’s. Boston totaled 20 turnovers on the night, and their defense was a no-show in the first half.
With 2.1 seconds left in the third quarter, Jayson Tatum got his second technical foul of the night, resulting in the second ejection of his career.
Tatum voiced his displeasure to crew chief Bill Kennedy after he was called for a loose ball foul, hitting Robert Covington in the face when trying to pick up a lost handle. The foul was upgraded from a loose ball foul to a flagrant foul after review by officials.
Despite a nice shooting night, pouring in 21 points on 6-of-9 (66.7%) shooting in 27 minutes, it was a frustrating night for Tatum, who finished with seven turnovers and a -7 plus-minus.
The 25-year-old finished the night with more turnovers than made buckets.
Derrick White led the Celtics with 21 points on 5-of-11 (45.5%) shooting, six rebounds, and five assists. White also finished with a team-high +20, improving his NBA-best plus-minus to +167.
Patrick Beverley stepped up for the 76ers, finishing with a game-high 26 points on 10-of-15 (66.7%) shooting, eight rebounds, and seven assists, all game-highs. Beverley’s 26 points tied his career-high and marked the first game the 11-year vet surpassed the 20-point mark since November 10, 2018.
Here are three takeaways as the Celtics improve their win streak to three games.
Despite turnovers, the offense dominates
Despite their 20 turnovers, the Celtics’ offense put up 125 points on Friday night.
The C’s hit the ground running, pouring in 44 first quarter points on 14-of-20 (70%) shooting from the field and 8-of-11 (72.7%) from deep, marking the second consecutive game they knocked down at least eight threes in the first quarter.
Fast starts have been a common trend for the Celtics’ offense this season. Entering Friday night, the Celtics held the NBA’s top offensive rating (125.1) and net rating (+25.5) in the first quarter, and the second-best defensive rating (99.6).
The Celtics’ 44 points in the first quarter are tied for their second most in any quarter this season. It also marked the fourth time the Celtics scored more than 40 points in a single quarter and the third time they did so in the first quarter.
The Celtics finished with 125 points on 39-of-77 (50.6%) from the field on the night, marking the seventh time this season the C’s shot 50% or better.
Boston also shot 16-of-33 (48.5%) from deep.
With the monster offensive night, the Celtics are now averaging 123.0 points per game at home, shooting 50.2% from the field and 40.6% from deep, en route to a 124.9 offensive rating.
Defense steps up in the second half
Boston’s defense was atrocious in the first half.
The Celtics allowed 72 points in the first half, the most they have allowed in a first half this season, as Philly shot 27-of-46 (58.7%) from the floor and 9-of-17 (52.9%).
The 76ers shot 16-of-24 (66.6%) in the paint, including 10-of-14 (71.4%) in the restricted area as they paraded their way to the rim.
“We did not do a great job with our individual defense, and we did not do a great job taking tendencies,” head coach Joe Mazzulla said when addressing the first-half struggles defensively.
“Two 36-point quarters back-to-back is completely unacceptable.”
After one of their worst defensive halves of the season, the Celtics bounced back in the second half, looking like that top-three defensive unit we have seen this season.
Boston held Philly to just 47 points in the second half on 16-of-48 (33.3%) shooting.
The Celtics held the 76ers to just 22 fourth quarter points.
Finding a way to win
Friday night’s win was far from pretty, evidenced by the 20 turnovers.
However, you don’t get style points in the NBA. All wins count the same.
Between the giveaways, the lack of defensive focus early on, and Tatum’s ejection, this is a game the Celtics easily could have lost, but they stepped up and got the job done despite not looking their best most of the night.
“Throughout the game, we didn’t necessarily play well,” Tatum said postgame. “I love the way that we still figured out a way to win the game.”
Without Tatum and Kristaps Porzingis, who lead the Celtics in clutch points this season, Boston, as they have often this year, found a way to win as they continue to grow in that key area.
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