Harden made 17 of his 30 field-goal attempts,
including 7 of 14 from behind the 3-point arc. It was the 10th
playoff game in which Harden has scored at least 40 points.
Harden's 3-pointer with 8.4 seconds to play gave the
third-seeded 76ers a 117-115 lead. Jayson Tatum was called for a
foul on the ensuing possession, and then Paul Reed capped the
scoring by making two free throws with 4.6 seconds left.
Philadelphia closed the game with a 12-4 run.
The 76ers played without Joel Embiid, who sustained a sprained
LCL in his right knee during Game 3 of Philadelphia's
first-round sweep of Brooklyn. Embiid led the NBA by averaging
33.1 points per game during the regular season.
Tatum led the second-seeded Celtics with 39 points and 11
rebounds. Boston received 23 points from Jaylen Brown, and 20
from Malcolm Brogdon.
Tyrese Maxey added 26 points for the 76ers, who received 10
points and 13 rebounds from Reed.
The Celtics made 17 of their 18 free-throw attempts.
Philadelphia was 12-for-12 from the free-throw line.
Boston trailed 19-13 midway through the first but went on an
11-0 run to take a 24-19 lead with 4:37 left in the quarter. The
Celtics made 17 of their 20 shots from the field in the period
and led 38-31 entering the second. Boston connected on 14 of its
first 15 field goal attempts.
The Celtics were up 62-50 -- their largest lead of the game --
with 3:31 to play in the second, but Philadelphia closed the
first half on a 13-4 run and trailed 66-63 at halftime.
The game was tied, 87-87, entering the final 12 minutes.
Game 2 of the best-of-seven series will be played Wednesday
night in Boston.
--Field Level Media
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