Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here… highlighting the big story line. Because there’s nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.
The Celtics exploded in the third, and the Sixers just didn’t seem to have an answer. Embiid finished the third quarter with 11 points, and Horford picked up his fourth foul early in the period. The Celtics, meanwhile, appeared to be having a lot of fun. Brown dusted Matisse Thybulle and Al Horford with a pair of nasty dribble moves, and Boston’s lead ballooned back to a very comfortable margin.
[…]
The Celtics kept a comfortable advantage over a Sixers team that simply didn’t have the juice for a real comeback.
MassLive: Jaylen Brown drops 32 points, leads Boston Celtics to 116-95 victory over Philadelphia 76ers
Philadelphia could’ve used Josh Richardson last night; he torched the Celtics for 29 in their last meeting, but he’s got a bad hamstring. The Celtics were without Kemba Walker, whose surprise sore knee on the injury report has turned into sitting at least two games.
Anyway, Jayson Tatum and, especially, Jaylen Brown made sure none of that mattered.
Tatum scored 25 points with 4 assists, getting to the free throw line often (8-of-10), drilling some dagger threes (3-of-6), and delivering the play of the game (see Page 2).
Brown managed to surpass that performance, with 32 points, 9 rebounds and a bunch of highlight reel plays, including:
JAYLEN BR💥WN pic.twitter.com/0VDgoq9aFS
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) February 2, 2020
Not bad. Not bad at all. https://t.co/UgtHFnIT8L
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) February 2, 2020
Since being left out of the All-Star game, JB has averaged 25 points and 8 boards. It’s natural to think he’s sending a message, but when asked, he said no.
Jaylen Brown on missing out on All-Star selection: "Getting ready to head into the playoffs is what my mind is on right now…because that's it, you know what I mean? That's the stage you want to be on. I think some people have it backwards."
— Brian Robb (@BrianTRobb) February 2, 2020
He could not have given a better answer.
On Page 2: A rude welcome back
Having been unable to play in Philadelphia’s first visit to TD Garden, Saturday was his first time here in uniform since leaving. But the crowd gave him a warm reception at the December 12 game.
“I didn’t really know what to expect, to be honest,” he said. “But I was happy with that. A lot of respect, mutual respect — from the fans and also my respect to them.”
No doubt, Boston was more than just a temporary place of employment for Horford and family.
“A lot happened here in my three years, on the court and off the court,” he said. “Two of my little girls were born here, and, you know, on the way over I was looking at Mass. General, and I was like, ‘Yeah, I was there.’ Just a lot of good memories. All I have is positive memories here of my time.”
Herald: 76ers happy to have Al Horford — and to not have to deal with him on the Celtics
It was not a happy “homecoming” for Al Horford on Saturday night. His first time on the parquet in a Sixers uniform was a disaster.
Horford made just 4-of-11 shots overall and 1-of-6 three-pointers. He didn’t get to the free throw line. He finished with 9 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists.
Al also got dunked on loudly by both Jays. The first jam, by Jayson, reverberated around the NBA and the internet and was probably felt by Al deep in his soul.
😱 JAYSON TATUM 😱 pic.twitter.com/S8eNhLQiNQ
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) February 2, 2020
Jaylen’s was not as dramatic because Al made a business decision and stepped back. Still, the big man was helpless.
JB comin' in hot! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/jbVBR7opmx
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) February 2, 2020
Then he got one-upped and trash-talked (with a smile) by Marcus Smart.
“Earlier on the half, he scored on me,” Smart said. “I didn’t see it or know, but everyone was telling me he gave me the little baby pose. I asked him when he was on the bench, ‘Did you call me little?’ He started laughing and I told him ‘I’m going to remember that.’”
He wasn’t lying.
Midway through the fourth quarter, with the Celtics up 13, Smart caught the ball against the Sixers zone defense. Horford, playing the center of the 2-3 zone, came over to pick Smart up. Smart faked, dribbled, and launched a floater high enough to scrape the banners before it splashed through.
And here is that play.
Marcus Smart on fun with old friend Al Horford:
“Everyone was telling me he gave me the little baby pose … I told him, ‘I’m going to remember that.’ So when I scored that last shot… I gave him a little taste of his own medicine.”
— Chris Forsberg (@ChrisForsberg_) February 2, 2020
To top it off, the Sixers suffered a beatdown that kept them in the 6th seed in the Eastern standings. They’re now 3 games behind the Celts, who are 3rd. If Horford’s crew doesn’t improve their ranking, they’ll be without any home court advantage in the playoffs – which is a problem when your road record is 9-17.
Philly fans will say they won the season series with Boston, 3-1, and that’s true. Also true: the all-time rivalry now stands at 261-190 in the Celtics’ favor.
And, finally… Tidbits
Some oddities and notables from last night.
- Philly’s only lead of the game was 2-0 on Embiid’s first shot. They committed 7 turnovers in the first quarter, fell behind by double digits, and never got close again.
- Embiid missed every shot after that and finished 1-of-11. Daniel Theis (with a lot of team defensive help) kept him in check.
- The previously hot Gordon Hayward also shot 1-of-11.
- Jaylen was 12-of-13 on 2-point shots and 1-of-10 on threes.
- There were a lot of free throws: Philly 26-of-32, Boston 32-of-41,
- Each team scored more than 30 FGs but registered only 15 assists.
- Brad Wanamaker (15 points, 3 assists, 2 steals) got a technical for briefly staring at Embiid after this dunk (insert eye roll emoji).
Wanamaker with the JAM 🔨 pic.twitter.com/qAc1sF7yYH
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) February 2, 2020
- Wanamaker got a second dunk in garbage time. They were the first jams in his two-year NBA career.
- Boston is 11-0 this season when The Jays both score at least 20.
- We had Tacko Time (he scored 2 points).
- What the hell, let’s see that Tatum dunk one more time.
Jayson Tatum DOWN HARD@sixers 8@celtics 22
Watch on ABC pic.twitter.com/NkfXI5IrB6
— NBA (@NBA) February 2, 2020
The Rest of the Links:
MassLive: Boston Celtics limit Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid en route to big win: ‘they came at him’ | With Celtics thriving, Al Horford’s move to Philadelphia hasn’t turned out like he planned
Globe: 76ers fall apart on the road — again
NBC Sports Boston: Injury bug has made it hard to tell just how good Celtics can be | Instant Overreactions: Have the Celtics finally figured out the 76ers? | Ex-teammate Al Horford the latest addition to Jayson Tatum’s wall of posterized All-Stars
Boston Sports Journal: BSJ Game Report: Celtics 116, 76ers 95 – Aggressive C’s earn first win of year vs. Philly
ESPN: 76ers’ erratic season reflected in Joel Embiid’s 1-for-11 shooting night vs. Celtics
The Athletic: Nineteen takeaways from a night when the Celtics proved they can handle the 76ers’ size | Two-man game: What we learned from the final Sixers-Celtics game of the regular season
Herald: NBA All-Star voting shouldn’t be criticized by the players
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
