The 76ers upset the Celtics in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series by James Harden who hit 45. With the MVP finalist sidelined for the opener of his team’s second-round playoff series with the Celtics, Philadelphia called on a vintage version of Harden.
James Harden matched 45 points playoff career high, step-back 3-pointer over Al Horford with 8.7 seconds left as the 76ers rallied without Embiid to beat Boston 119-115 in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals on Monday night.
As per sources, there is optimism surrounding Embiid’s potential availability for Game 2 on Wednesday.
The early scoring onslaught from the Celtics, “Harden was patient and knew when to attack and when to pass”, Said by 76ers coach Doc Rivers.
The key was to prepare for the likelihood Embiid would be out, mentioned by River.
Consequently he mentioned that “That’s the difference between this year’s team and last year’s team. We have a bunch of street fighters, If we could get to the fourth quarter, we were going to win the game. That’s how we felt.”
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 76ers | 31 | 32 | 24 | 32 | 119 |
| Celtics | 38 | 28 | 21 | 28 | 115 |
| Game Leader | 76ers | 76ers Score | Celtics | Celtics Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Points Leader | James Harden | 45 | Jayson Tatum | 39 |
| Rebounds Leader | Paul Reed | 13 | Jayson Tatum | 11 |
| Assists Leader | James Harden | 6 | Marcus Smart | 7 |