Three Takeaways From The Celtics’ Gritty Game 3 Win Over The Sixers

The Philadelphia 76ers faced a number of questions going into Game 3 of their opening-round series against the Celtics. Philly had dug themselves in a deep 0-2 hole against Boston after two uninspired outings this week, the most recent being a 128-101 drubbing in Game 2 on Wednesday despite leading by as many as 14 at one point.

While Jayson Tatum had an off night, Kemba Walker and Jaylen Brown came up big, leaving the Sixers searching for answers about how to get one win back in the series. Of course, there wouldn’t be any easy solutions for Philadelphia, which is just trying to keep its season alive at this point, and following another tough 102-94 loss in Game 3 Friday, the prognosis is as bleak as ever.

Here’s what we learned from Game 3 on Friday in Orlando:

The Sixers Showed A Lot of Heart

Despite the outcome, Philly proved that they still have a little dog left in them. With a daunting 0-2 deficit and no in Ben Simmons in the lineup, it would’ve been easy to roll over and die. But Philly showed some signs of life early, behind 12 first quarter points from Joel Embiid and nine from Tobias Harris to set the tone early.

It was a gritty, back-and-forth affair from wire to wire. Embiid was huge for the Sixers, and he did most of his damage by battling in the paint, getting 14 of his 30 points at the free throw line. And despite horrendous shooting all game long, the Sixers managed staged a 12-4 run late in the fourth quarter to tie the game with just under four minutes remaining. They also competed defensively, which led to Tatum having an off night for the first time in the series. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough.

The Celtics Have Too Many Weapons

Both teams struggled mightily from the field in Game 3. Philly started the game 1-for-10 from downtown, and the Celtics weren’t much better, missing 10 of 11 shots during that stretch and Tatum picking up a third quick foul that forced him to the bench for the entire second quarter.

But the poor shooting more or less canceled each other out, and the game ultimately came down to individual efforts. With Tatum going just 3-for-11 through the first three quarters, Kemba Walker stepped up big time, putting up 10 of his 24 points in the third to keep the Celtics on top.

Marcus Smart (14 points, eight rebounds) and Jaylen Brown (21 points, seven boards) were able to help buoy their team while Tatum struggled, until he made some key buckets to give Boston a seven-point lead midway through the final period. Tatum finished with 15 points but was just 6-for-19 from the field overall, including 2-for-9 from downtown. Regardless, the Celtics went on a devastating 10-0 run to close Game 3 and take a virtually insurmountable 3-0 series lead.

Ben Simmons Is Sorely Missed

Philadelphia’s offensive woes were on full display in Game 3, as they shot just 29 percent from the field (23 percent from behind the arc). Say what you will about just how much Simmons’ lack of shooting affects their spacing, particularly in crunch time, but without his ability to initiate the offense and create open looks for his teammates, the Sixers have often been stagnant and relied too heavily on iso action to manufacture points.

And isn’t just the offense that suffers. Through the first two games, we saw just how Tatum ran amok without Simmons’ size and length there to at least bother him on defense. Simmons has, justifiably, taken plenty of criticism for his deficiencies, but he has also perhaps not received the credit he deserves for his considerable talents.

The Sixers will try to avoid a first round sweep when Game 4 tips off on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET on ABC.