The Boston Celtics were in trouble. Down one to the Philadelphia 76ers with under nine minutes left in Game 3 at Xfinity Mobile Arena, Tyrese Maxey had just hit back-to-back unanswered three-pointers to swing the momentum Philadelphia’s way. The crowd was alive. The series, tied at one game apiece heading into the night, suddenly felt like it was shifting Philadelphia’s way.
Boston called timeout. What followed was one of the more complete closing stretches the Celtics have produced all season. They outscored Philadelphia down the stretch, held Maxey scoreless the rest of the way, and walked out of Philly with a 108-100 win and a 2-1 series lead.
At the center of it was a performance that will not show up cleanly in the box score.
Brown Drops Major Quote on Tatum After Celtics’ Game 3 Win
GettyJayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown of the Boston Celtics.
Jaylen Brown re-entered the game with eight minutes left carrying five turnovers on the night, two of which came on offensive fouls. None of that mattered in the final stretch. He immediately made an impact on the defensive end, picking off a Maxey pass and finding Derrick White for a layup that gave Boston a three-point lead. From there, Brown went on to score eight consecutive Celtics points across a four-minute stretch, keeping Boston afloat while the rest of the offense stalled.
Then, with just over two minutes left, he passed the moment to his co-star.
Jayson Tatum took over from there. He got to the free throw line, knocked down two pull-up three-pointers, and found Payton Pritchard for a shot-clock beating three that gave the Celtics a five-point cushion with just over a minute to play. The biggest of those shots came after White grabbed an offensive rebound and Brown, seeing that Tatum had a favorable matchup, did not hesitate to give it up.
After 118 playoff games together, the decision was instinctive. As Brown put it postgame: “I got nothing but trust for Jayson Tatum.”
What This Win Revealed About Boston
Brown finished the night with 25 points, seven rebounds, four assists, and three blocks. Tatum matched him with 25 points of his own, adding seven assists and five rebounds across 42 minutes. Tatum scored or assisted on every Boston field goal in the final two minutes of the game.
It is worth noting the context around what Tatum is doing. He is still working his way back from an Achilles rupture that ended his season less than a year ago. Still, when asked about outside expectations for his play, he kept the focus on what matters to him: “I just missed being a part of moments like that.”
White and Pritchard deserve credit too. White grabbed two crucial offensive rebounds in the final four minutes despite shooting struggles that have defined his series. Pritchard’s shot-clock beating three was one of the biggest shots of the night. Nikola Vucevic contributed 11 points, six rebounds, four assists, and three blocks in 30 minutes off the bench.
Final Word for the Celtics
Boston has been here before. Seventeen turnovers, foul trouble, a hostile road crowd, a momentum shift that had the building believing. The Celtics weathered all of it.
A 2-1 series lead puts Boston in control heading back to Xfinity Mobile Arena for Game 4. The Celtics are not looking past Philadelphia. But they have shown enough to suggest they know exactly how to handle this moment.
Brown trusts Tatum. Tatum trusts the group. That has been enough so far.
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