Jayson Tatum logs triple-double as Celtics trounce 76ers

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Defending champion Celtics claim their seventh straight win on the road behind Jayson Tatum and Payton Pritchard

Payton Pritchard scored 28 points off the bench and Jayson Tatum recorded a triple-double as the Boston Celtics stormed out of the All-Star break with a 124-104 road victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday, February 20 (Friday, February 21, Manila time).

Pritchard made 8 of his team’s 24 three-pointers, helping Boston win its seventh straight game away from TD Garden and fourth in a row overall. The Celtics improved to a league-best 23-6 on the road as Tatum finished with 15 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists.

Jaylen Brown (20 points), Kristaps Porzingis (17), and Derrick White (16 points, 10 rebounds) also made solid contributions for the defending champs. Jrue Holiday returned after missing the previous four games with a shoulder ailment and he contributed 8 points in 20 minutes.

Paul George had 17 points to pace Philadelphia, which has lost six games in a row. Tyrese Maxey (16 points), Kelly Oubre Jr. (16) and Joel Embiid (15) were among the other top scorers for the Sixers.

The Celtics shot 8-for-12 from three-point range in the first quarter to take a 36-28 lead after 12 minutes. Six Boston players made a triple in the opening quarter, while Philadelphia missed 7 of its 9 long-range attempts in the first frame.

After making 2 three-pointers in the first quarter, Pritchard sank 3 more in the second. His hot shooting helped the visitors go ahead by 16 midway through the second session.

The Sixers made a mini-push as George hit a three-pointer and Oubre registered a three-point play to get the deficit down to 10. However, White drained a three-pointer on the other end to help the Celtics regain command.

Porzingis made a three-pointer with 18.7 seconds left to give Boston a 72-56 lead at the half.

The Celtics expanded their advantage to 20 early in the third quarter and then to 25 on Brown’s three-pointer shortly thereafter. Late in the third, Al Horford’s bucket from beyond the arc gave Boston its biggest lead, 100-71.

The Celtics led by at least 20 for the remainder of the game. – Rappler.com