The Celtics have opened a 2-0 series lead over the Philadelphia 76ers after overcoming a rough start Wednesday night.
They fell behind the Sixers by 14 points in the first quarter but the Celtics quickly regrouped, grabbed the lead for good early in the second quarter and cruised to a 128-101 victory at Disney World.
The Celtics, playing without Gordon Hayward (sprained ankle), will bid for a 3-0 lead in the playoff series when it resumes at 6:30 p.m. Friday. [...]
The Celtics have opened a 2-0 series lead over the Philadelphia 76ers after overcoming a rough start Wednesday night.
They fell behind the Sixers by 14 points in the first quarter but the Celtics quickly regrouped, grabbed the lead for good early in the second quarter and cruised to a 128-101 victory at Disney World.
The Celtics, playing without Gordon Hayward (sprained ankle), will bid for a 3-0 lead in the playoff series when it resumes at 6:30 p.m. Friday.
With the offense in high gear and only two turnovers in three-plus quarters, the Celtics gave the 76ers’ defense fits after a slow start. And at the other end of the floor, a swarming defense frustrated the Sixers.
Jayson Tatum was once again brilliant, following up his 32-point Game 1 performance by scoring 33, making 8 of 12 shots from 3-point range and going 12 for 20 overall.
With Ben Simmons sidelined following knee surgery, the 76ers are having a difficult time matching up with Tatum. For the second straight game, he registered a career playoff-high for points.
Kemba Walker missed 5 of 6 shots from 3-point range but scored 22 points and had four rebounds, while Jaylen Brown, who has a thigh contusion, scored 20 points with five rebounds.
Marcus Smart started in place of Hayward and had 10 points in addition to leading the aggressive defense.
The Celtics got plenty of help from the bench with rookie Grant Williams getting nine points and six rebounds to go with hustle plays. Enes Kanter was effective inside with 10 points and nine rebounds.
Rookie Romeo Langford, who has torn ligaments in his wrist, was a factor on defense while Brad Wanamaker played his usual steady game, hitting all three shots for seven points.
The Celtics made 19 of their 43 shots from 3-point range and never trailed after going in front, 37-36, on a Wanamaker basket with 9:11 remaining in the first half.
The blowout victory allowed coach Brad Stevens to get center Tacko Fall into the final for the final three minutes in his NBA playoff debut. Fall, who took Hayward’s spot on the active roster, had three points and a rebound.
Joel Embiid led the 76ers with 34 points and 10 rebounds and Josh Richardson scored 18 points. Al Horford was held to four points and two rebounds in 24 minutes.
The Celtics had fallen into a 25-11 hole just 7:08 into the game, but the turnaround began in the first quarter and they took the lead for good early in the second quarter.
They outscored the 76ers, 33-18, in the second quarter and dominated the third quarter, 38-24.
The Celtics opened a 98-75 lead going into the last 12 minutes and the Sixers didn’t come close to making a run down the stretch.
Tatum, Brown and Walker had seven points each in the third quarter as the Celtics made 12 of 24 shots.
The Sixers missed their first eight shots of the second half, and the Celtics were able to open a 74-59 lead early in the third quarter.
The Celtics widened their lead to 20 points when Grant Williams hit a 3-pointer for an 85-65 advantage with 4:37 to play in the quarter.
The biggest lead of the quarter was 25 points as the Celtics outscored the Sixers, 71-42, in the second and third quarters.
Tatum had 18 points with five 3-pointers as the Celtics held a 65-57 lead at halftime. They made 10 of 22 shots from long range and shot 52% overall.
After being down, 31-18, with 2:13 left in the first quarter, the Celtics outscored the Sixers, 36-10, to open a 52-41 lead with 3:42 remaining in the half.
Walker had 15 second-quarter points and Tatum added seven as the Celtics turned the game around.
They also received strong bench performances from Kanter (seven points, seven rebounds in the half), an aggressive Grant Williams (five points, four rebounds) and Wanamaker (five points, three assists).
The 76ers missed 13 of their first 16 shots in the second quarter and Embiid had only seven points in the quarter after getting 15 in the first 12 minutes.
The Celtics faced a 14-point deficit in the first quarter when the Sixers put on a sizzling shooting display, connecting on 11 of their first 14 attempts.
Tatum picked up two quick fouls just 2:17 into the game and was on the bench less than three minutes later, replaced by Semi Ojeleye.
The 76ers built a 25-11 lead with 4:52 to go in the first quarter, but the Celtics rallied to get within 33-27 by the end of the quarter.
Tatum returned and scored 11 points, including a 3-pointer that banked in from just over midcourt with 8.5 seconds remaining. That capped a 9-2 run to finish the quarter with Tatum making two 3-pointers and Brown adding another.
Embiid was aggressive from the start, getting nine shots in the quarter for his 15 points.
jfenton@enterprisenews.com
On Twitter at @JFenton_ent.