Boston Celtics at Philadelphia 76ers
· East 1st Round - Game 3Celtics beat the 76ers 108-100 in Game 3 behind 25 points each from Tatum and Brown
Game 4 is Sunday in Philadelphia.
Tatum was 5 of 9 on 3-pointers in just his 19th game this season following surgery last May to repair his Achilles tendon. Brown scored eight straight points late in the fourth for a 96-92 lead that put some distance between them and a Sixers team brimming with confidence following a surprise Game 2 win in Boston.
“We definitely wanted to come back and respond after dropping one on our home floor,” Brown said. “We can't lose two games in a row in the playoffs. It's tough. So this was a big win for us.”
Tatum and Brown did their part in the fourth, scoring 19 of the Celtics' 29 points.
Tatum buried a 3 for a 100-96 lead and Payton Pritchard hit a step-back 3 to make it 103-98. Tatum, still looking to regain his top form after not playing for nearly a year, may just be there and hit the final 3-point dagger for the 106-100 lead that even sent Allen Iverson headed toward the exit.
Pritchard scored 15 points and the Celtics shot 44% from the floor.
Philadelphia played again without center Joel Embiid for Game 3 as he continues to ease his way back into practice following an appendectomy on April 9.
Tyrese Maxey scored 31 points and Paul George added 18.
“We were in a position to win this game,” Maxey said. "Come in Sunday, got to get one. Got to protect home court and even the series.”
The more games Embiid misses, the more Maxey and VJ Edgecombe have played their way into the faces of the franchise.
Fans were already on their feet when the Sixers brought the ball down in the fourth and roared when Maxey let a 28-footer fly and hit it for an 85-84 lead.
Yet growing pains are inevitable in the playoff process.
Boston's 32-point Game 1 win stands as the outlier so far of two otherwise fantastic playoff games. What has stayed steady, the team with the 3-point edge wins. Boston hit 16 in Game 1 and the 76ers had the advantage with 19 in Game 2. Led by five each from Tatum and Pritchard, the Celtics made 20 of 47 in Game 3 while the Sixers were just 12 of 35.
“They did make some pretty heavily contested ones, especially late in the game," 76ers coach Nick Nurse said.
The Sixers got only a combined 22 points from Embiid replacements Adem Bona and Andre Drummond.
Regular Season Series
Series tied 2-2
Recent Plays
| 4th 0.0 |  |
End of Game | 108 - 100 |
| 4th 0.0 | |
End of the 4th Quarter | 108 - 100 |
| 4th 0.1 |  |
76ers offensive team rebound | 108 - 100 |
| 4th 0.1 | |
Tyrese Maxey misses 26-foot fade away jump shot | 108 - 100 |
| 4th 6.0 |  |
Derrick White makes free throw 2 of 2 | 108 - 100 |
Statistics
 BOS |
 PHI |
|
|---|---|---|
| 36-81 | FG | 38-87 |
| 44 | Field Goal % | 44 |
| 20-47 | 3PT | 12-35 |
| 43 | Three Point % | 34 |
| 16-17 | FT | 12-16 |
| 94 | Free Throw % | 75 |
| 45 | Rebounds | 37 |
| 15 | Offensive Rebounds | 13 |
| 30 | Defensive Rebounds | 24 |
| 21 | Assists | 18 |
| 6 | Steals | 6 |
| 11 | Blocks | 8 |
| 17 | Turnovers | 11 |
| 0 | Team Turnovers | 0 |
| 17 | Total Turnovers | 11 |
| 0 | Technical Fouls | 1 |
| 0 | Total Technical Fouls | 1 |
| 0 | Flagrant Fouls | 0 |
| 21 | Points Conceded Off Turnovers | 14 |
| 5 | Fast Break Points | 9 |
| 26 | Points in Paint | 42 |
| 19 | Fouls | 20 |
| 10 | Largest Lead | 4 |
| 8 | Lead Changes | 8 |
| 75 | Percent Led | 17 |
Philadelphia 76ers Injuries
| NAME, POS | STATUS | DATE |
|---|
Boston Celtics Injuries
| NAME, POS | STATUS | DATE |
|---|---|---|
| Jayson Tatum, F | Out | May 2 |
Game Information
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Attendance: 19,746 · Capacity:
2025-26 Atlantic Standings
| TEAM | W | L | PCT | GB | STRK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Boston |
56 | 26 | .683 | - | W2 |
 New York |
53 | 29 | .646 | 3 | L1 |
 Toronto |
46 | 36 | .561 | 10 | W1 |
 Philadelphia |
45 | 37 | .549 | 11 | W2 |
 Brooklyn |
20 | 62 | .244 | 36 | L3 |
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