|
 The Celtics then wiped out the 76ers in the rescheduled game Sunday
night.
Guard Isaiah Thomas scored 13 of his 20 points in the decisive third
quarter as the Celtics rolled to a 112-92 victory over the NBA's
worst team.
Forward Jae Crowder also finished with 20 points for Boston, which
won its second straight and extended its winning streak over
Philadelphia to seven games. Guard Avery Bradley had 19, and guard
Marcus Smart contributed 16 off the bench for the Celtics (24-21).
When Saturday's game was postponed by the snowstorm that rocked the
Northeast, the Celtics practiced in Boston, then flew to
Philadelphia on Sunday morning.
"Obviously, that wasn't ideal," Celtics coach Brad Stevens said,
"but I thought our guys were businesslike in our approach. I thought
our guys were pretty locked in today."
Smart, in fact, said the schedule was "very unorthodox" and added
that it "felt like we were back in AAU, arriving the day of the game
and then playing."
Yet Boston trailed only early in the game, and led by as many as 29
points in the second half.
"We didn't want to make the mistake a lot of teams make by looking
at their record," Smart said. "We wanted to come out and make sure
we punch them in the mouth first."
Forward Robert Covington notched 25 points to pace Philadelphia
(6-39). The 76ers were seeking to win consecutive games for the
first time since March, but they turned the ball over 24 times,
seven more than their league-worst average and the most they have
had in their last 18 games.
The giveaways resulted in 25 points by the Celtics, who began the
night forcing 17.9 turnovers a game, the league's second-highest
total.
Nine of those 76ers turnovers came in the third quarter, when Boston
outscored Philadelphia 36-26.
Boston shot 11-for-25 from 3-point range in the game. Crowder was
4-for-6, while Bradley went 3-for-4 and Smart 3-for-6. Philadelphia
made only eight of 26 long-range attempts.
The Celtics built a 58-43 halftime cushion after outscoring the
76ers 31-18 over the last 13 minutes of the first half. Thomas and
Bradley combined for 12 points as Boston opened the third quarter
with a 22-8 flurry. Crowder capped it with a three-point play with
6:07 remaining in the period, making it 80-51.
The 76ers were never closer than 16 the rest of the game.
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"That was a bad NBA game tonight, from our standpoint," Philadelphia
coach Brett Brown said, "and we're going to push it aside and move
on."
Brown said that only backup guard T.J. McConnell, who had eight
points, five rebounds and two assists while playing a little over 16
minutes, showed much.
"I don't even know what team I coached tonight," Brown said. "That's
not who we are. ... We were poor. I don't know why. Maybe it had
something to do with the snowstorm. I doubt it. We just didn't come
with the energy, for whatever reason."
Boston, up 27-25 late in the first quarter, went on a 24-8 run to
take a 51-33 lead with 6:33 left in the half. Crowder and Smart
combined for the last 17 points in that rush, including three
3-pointers in a 1:28 span by Smart.
By halftime, the Celtics were ahead by 15 points, and Crowder and
Smart had 14 points apiece. Covington led Philadelphia with 17,
shooting 5-for-6 from 3-point range.
According to the Elias Sports Bureau, he was the first 76ers player
to make five 3-pointers in a half since March 25, 2015, when he made
five in the second half at Denver.
NOTES: F Amir Johnson had 12 rebounds and five assists for Boston,
while C Jared Sullinger contributed 11 boards and seven assists. ...
Philadelphia G Ish Smith, who has keyed something of a revival for
the team since he was acquired in a trade with New Orleans on Dec.
24, had just seven points on 3-for-12 shooting, and offset four
assists with three turnovers. His plus/minus was minus-35, worst on
the team. ... 76ers G Nik Stauskas returned after missing three
games with a shoulder injury. He scored two points in 15 minutes.
... Philadelphia F Nerlens Noel started after sitting out the second
half of last Wednesday's victory in Orlando with blurred vision. He
ended with 12 points and nine rebounds. ... G JaKarr Sampson started
for the 76ers after seeing limited action against the Magic because
of a hip pointer. He scored two points in nine minutes Sunday.
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