With their starting backcourt leading the way, the Philadelphia 76ers defeat the Boston Celtics 111-97 to even the series 1-1.<\/p>\n
\u2022\u00a0Download the NBA App<\/a><\/p>\n It is not a stretch to suggest the Philadelphia 76ers just played their finest game of the season, given that this is the playoffs, and they trailed 1-0, and were rudely dismissed in the previous game, and they were on the road, and once again, no Joel Embiid.<\/p>\n Can\u2019t leave out that last part.<\/p>\n So, yes, all told, what the Sixers managed Tuesday was quite impressive in the light of all those hazards. Whether or not this first-round matchup<\/a> against the Boston Celtics is now a serious series remains to be seen.<\/p>\n But it is tied at one apiece. And the next two games are in Philly.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s the playoffs,\u201d said Celtics swingman Jaylen Brown. \u201cWelcome to the playoffs. They out-competed against us. I\u2019ve played in series that have gone similar. You can\u2019t take anything for granted. You just got to be ready to go. I trust our group.\u201d<\/p>\n And how are the Sixers feeling? Well, frisky, a bit like Tyrese Maxey after he broke ankles and dropped buckets in the fourth quarter.<\/p>\n He strutted by the Celtics\u2019 bench after a twisting layup and released a yell, which was all anyone needed to see and hear back home. Maxey was brilliant, and VJ Edgecombe was spectacularly steady for a rookie in his second playoff game, and the Sixers did plenty right in their 14-point, where-did-this-come-from victory.<\/p>\n Circle the next game on the calendar for a series that\u2019s all square.<\/p>\n Here are four takeaways from Game 2:<\/p>\n 1. Philly\u2019s backcourt was brotherly<\/p>\n The chemistry between Maxey and Edgecombe didn\u2019t just develop overnight; this was a season in the making. These two young players formed a gradual bond that showed early promise, then carried the club for much of the season, and now just delivered a convincing argument that the Sixers are set at guard now and in the future.<\/p>\n Edgecombe started with a strong start Tuesday and Maxey finished the job with a fanatic finish. They combined for 59 points, more than half the Sixers\u2019 total, and the Celtics had no answer.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n VJ Edgecombe joins Magic Johnson as the only players in history to total 30+ pts and 10+ reb in a Playoff game before turning 21.<\/p>\n About Maxey: He\u2019ll receive some strong consideration for one of the three All-NBA teams once the voting is announced next month; Maxey was that superb during the season.<\/p>\n And what he did in Game 2 was just as impressive if only because Boston\u2019s defense is concentrated on him first and foremost.<\/p>\n Maxey was too quick and clever for the Celtics anyway. He constantly drilled shot after shot in the fourth quarter and those daggers prevented the Celtics from pulling any closer than two points. He played 39 minutes and had only one turnover.<\/p>\n About VJ: So, so poised. And against an experienced Boston team as well.<\/p>\n There\u2019s nothing else to say about Edgecombe and how he seems built for this atmosphere. He constantly made the Celtics pay for giving him open looks on the perimeter, where he thrived. He led the Sixers with 30 points without really attacking the basket much; he never attempted a free throw.<\/p>\n No matter what happens in this series, the Sixers are in good hands with these guards.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019ve got ball players over there,\u201d said Brown.<\/p>\n 2. Celtics chilly from 3<\/p>\n This team often lives and dies by the deep shot and Tuesday those shots didn\u2019t fall, but the Celtics did, and hard. With the exception of Brown, nobody could connect with any regularity. And it was especially costly when the Celtics tried to rally, resorted to 3-pointers, and still misfired.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s the tally: The Celtics took 50 of them and made just 13.<\/p>\n When those shots don\u2019t fall, three players in particular struggle \u2014 Derrick White, Sam Hauser and Payton Pritchard. They\u2019re the players who shoot them constantly and are strategically positioned around the arc while Brown and Jayson Tatum go isolation.<\/p>\n Those three combined to shoot 7-for-28 from deep.<\/p>\n The Celtics have so much invested in the shot because everyone essentially has the green light in an offense that emphasizes 3-pointers.<\/p>\n When those shots are falling, the Celtics are tough to beat. When they\u2019re not, it puts pressure on Tatum and Brown to play at the highest of levels.<\/p>\n \u201cI thought we got great looks,\u201d said Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla. \u201cWe missed them.\u201d<\/p>\n 3. Sixers hot from 3<\/p>\n On the flip side was the Sixers, who once again put their faith in the deep shot. Those didn\u2019t fall in Game 1 which became a blowout. Fortunately for the Sixers, they weren\u2019t dismayed and didn\u2019t bail on the strategy, which paid off Tuesday.<\/p>\n The Sixers shot 48% and gradually those shots seemed to demoralize the Celtics who couldn\u2019t defend against them. Maxey and Edgecombe went 11-for-22 combined. And: The Sixers made 19 from deep; they made that many only three times previously this season.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Tyrese Maxey finishes with 29 points and nine assists in a Game 2 win for the Sixers.<\/p>\n Obviously, the Sixers had little choice but to tap into that method of scoring because of Embiid. When he\u2019s healthy and on the floor, the Sixers have a low-post option. Embiid can play bully ball. When he\u2019s unavailable, like he is now, the Sixers have no such luxury in the paint. Therefore, they must lean somewhat heavily on the outside shot.<\/p>\n It didn\u2019t work a few nights ago. It did Tuesday. Feast or famine. In Game 2, they ate.<\/p>\n 4. Celtics need more from White<\/p>\n He was a 2024 Olympic gold medal winner and a superb supporting cast player throughout much of his career. Plus, he collects plenty of votes from the basketball world when internet folks are tabulating candidates for the unofficial All-Underrated team.<\/p>\n Yes, he makes lots of positive praise for himself. But right now? White is looking to make a few more shots.<\/p>\n He struggled to shoot from distance this season, connecting on 32% from deep, a mild percentage for a volume shooter.<\/p>\n And through two games of this series, he\u2019s 4-for-17 on 3s.<\/p>\n White will look to clean that up going forward; his misfirings didn\u2019t damage the Celtics in Game 1 but proved costly Tuesday.<\/p>\n As if that weren\u2019t enough, White has his hands full defensively. He grades well in that area, but Maxey is forcing him to burn energy, and now Edgecombe came out favorably against White on switches.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a lot to ask from a player, to excel at both ends, and White, based on his history and reputation, tends to limit his struggles to a minimum. That\u2019s the good news for Boston.<\/p>\n * * *<\/p>\n Shaun Powell has covered the NBA since 1985. You can e-mail him at\u00a0spowell@nba.com<\/a>, find\u00a0his archive here<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0follow him on\u00a0X<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"With their starting backcourt leading the way, the Philadelphia 76ers defeat the Boston Celtics 111-97 to even the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":598986,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[64],"tags":[260824,355,99],"class_list":{"0":"post-598985","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nba","8":"tag-76ers-celtics-game-2","9":"tag-nba","10":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/598985","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=598985"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/598985\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/598986"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=598985"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=598985"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=598985"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}