The Celtics ripped the Sixers Monday night in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference semi-finals series, 117-101, as Boston lit it up from behind the arch and Philly stunk it up from 3-point land.
The Sixers shot an ugly 5-of-26 from long range while Boston hit 17-of-36, good for 47.2 percent.
Game 2 of the series is in Boston on Thursday (8:30 p.m., TNT).
Boston’s Terry Rozier was particularly effective from deep as he hit 7-of-9 of his 3-point attempts and finished with a team-high 29 points. It continued Rozier’s run as top performer in the 2018 NBA playoffs.
“My confidence is high,” Rozier told TNT after the game. “My teammates believe in me, my coaches believe in me. I just want to keep it going. We’re going to keep it going regardless of who is on the floor.”
Al Horford and Jayson Tatum also flirted with 30 points Monday night, finishing with 26 and 28 respectively.
Joel Embiid was highly effective for Philly despite the loss as he finished with 31 points and 13 boards. Ben Simmons ended with 18 points and six assists.
