Jayson Tatum posted the fourth triple-double of his career, leading the way for the Boston Celtics to a 124-104 blowout win over the Philadelphia 76ers in their first game back from the All-Star Break.
Tatum tallied the triple-double (15 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists) just minutes in the fourth quarter but his terrific all-around performance set the tone for a dominant effort by the defending champions all night. The visitors built a double-digit lead in the first half behind 15 makes from beyond the arc and did not look back, leading by 16 points or more for the entire second half.
Payton Pritchard led the Celtics with a team-high 28 points off the bench including eight makes from 3-point range while Derrick White added a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Six different players scored in double figures in the win for Boston, who have now won four straight games overall and eight of their last nine games. Paul George led the 76ers with a team-high 17 points in the ugly setback.
Boston is now an NBA-best 23-6 on the road with the win.
Here are four takeaways from the Celtics’ win on Thursday night:
Celtics catch fire from 3 in first half: The rest did the Celtics quite well during the All-Star break, particularly when it comes to their 3-point shooting. Boston came out red-hot in their opening half, shooting a scorching 60 percent from 3-point range, going 15-of-25 from downtown. Five different players hit multiple 3s in the outburst as they feasted against lackluster Sixers defense along with Joel Embiid drop coverage in the pick-and-roll. Boston’s outside shooting has been trending in the right direction since a sluggish January and that continued yet again in this matchup with seven different players knocking down shots from beyond the arc in the win.
Payton Pritchard is running away with 6th Man of the Year: His top competition for the award (De’Andre Hunter) was traded away to Cleveland at the trade deadline but Pritchard is trying to leave the competition in the dust. He erupted for a game-high 15 first half points, with all five of his shots coming from 3-point range, setting the tone for Boston’s superb offensive first half from behind the arc. The 6-foot-1 guard followed that up with a pair of physical finishes through contract in the third quarter, showing off his versatility throughout his offensive game. Boston’s bench is back at full strength with Jrue Holiday back in the fold but Pritchard’s is staying aggressive and the Celtics offense is benefitting plenty with his efficiency.
Celtics play unselfish basketball led by their star: Boston’s offense had their way all night long against the Sixers defense but it was evident early how in sync they were. Tatum set the tone with his reads in the pick-and-roll, collapsing the Sixers defense time and time again to setup his teammates for easy looks on his way to a game-high 10 assists amid his triple-double. That mentality was contagious as 20 of Boston’s 25 field goal makes in the first half were assisted with Tatum (7) and Jaylen Brown (5) leading the way on that front. Boston finished the game with 33 assists on 43 makes.
Jrue Holiday’s return was promising: The veteran guard saw the court for the first time in two weeks after a four-game absence before the All-Star Break due to a shoulder injury. He took plenty of contact in that area in his return, including dealing with Joel Embiid in the post on multiple possessions. Luckily for Boston, Holiday looked like the guard of old, hitting a pair of 3s while also showing his usual burst defensively. Joe Mazzulla limited him to just 20 minutes in the blowout win, an ideal number for a team will look to prioritize keeping him healthy above all else until the postseason.
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