Celtics' disastrous 4th quarter helps Sixers close series gap to 3-2
The Celtics took the 76ers' best punches in the first three quarters of their Game 5 matchup with Philadelphia. Then everything fell apart for Boston. The Celtics carried an 86-85 lead into the final period before being outscored 28-11 over the final 12 minutes of their 113-97 loss Tuesday night.
BOSTON (AP) — The Celtics took the 76ers' best punches in the first three quarters of their Game 5 matchup with Philadelphia. Then everything fell apart for Boston. The Celtics carried an 86-85 lead into the final period before being outscored 28-11 over the final 12 minutes of their 113-97 loss Tuesday night.
It cut Boston’s series lead to 3-2, with Game 6 set for Thursday in Philadelphia. “Just not good enough overall from the Celtics tonight,” said Jaylen Brown, who finished with 22 points on 9-of-23 shooting. “The result was the result.
But we’ve got to move on. ” Boston moved the ball well in the first half but relied on 3-pointers down the stretch, seemingly unwilling to challenge 76ers big man Joel Embiid at the rim. The Celtics were stagnant in the half court, leading to frequent isolation plays as the Sixers built their lead.
Boston connected on 3 of 22 field goals (13. 6%) in the final period. And after knocking down 24 3-pointers in Game 4 to set a franchise record for 3s in a playoff game, the Celtics went 11 of 39 (28.