The Celtics led for most of the night, but it never quite felt secure. The energy was definitely leaning more toward Philadelphia. Their fans were engaged, and the Sixers continued to feed them with explosive shotmaking and momentum swinging moments.
Boston’s lead never grew to more than 10, and the Sixers chopped it down each time with a flurry of quick buckets. It consistently felt like they were a few possessions from losing their grip, and then the Sixers broke through with an 85-84 lead with 8:42
to go.
A moment like that can turn a crack in the dam into floodgates. It wouldn’t have been surprising if mistakes started compounding, and the atmosphere of a high intensity road game was too much to overcome. The entire crowd was on their feet and erupted as Maxey delivered for the lead, his face breaking into the unmistakable look of a player that might’ve just seized control.
Immediately after that, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown took the game back.
In the fourth quarter, the Jays scored or assisted on 27 of the Celtics 29 points.
After Tyrese Maxey’s go ahead three, Tatum carved through the defense and grabbed the lead right back.
Then it was Brown who intercepted Maxey’s pass to Paul George, stayed patient, and set up White for the layup.
On back-to-back possessions, they quieted the crowd and snatched the lead back. This was only the start of some absurdly clutch play from Boston’s star duo.
Brown spent the next three minutes stringing together buckets and parrying each of the Sixers attacks.
He went on a personal 9-point run. A driving bank shot (90-85), two free throws after drawing a foul on Edgecombe (92-85), a 17-foot pull-up jumper that answered an Oubre bucket (94-90), and a driving finger roll past Maxey (96-92). Every time Philly clawed within two, Brown answered.
Brown — the energy-shifter — kept the emotional advantage alive, allowing Tatum to swoop in for the kill.
Drummond’s dunk made it 97-96 with 2:19 left. In a one-point game, the ball swung to Tatum. His fake sent Maxey flying by. He took a quick dribble, gathered himself and sank a crucial three to open up a four point lead.
Paul George answered quickly, Pritchard sank a clutch late clock three, and then a pair of free throws from Oubre made it a 103-100 game with a minute left. Tatum had a center switched on him, and told Vucevic to clear out so he could attack the mismatch. With 27 seconds to go, Tatum pulled up over Adem Bona and sunk the dagger in.
On the road in a pivotal Game 3, it was Boston’s stars that rose to the occasion. Years of playoff reps have sharpened their composure, and it showed when the game tightened.
No matter what came before, it felt like they treated the final minutes as a fresh start. Two players who have seen every version of this moment were calm and methodical in dictating how it would end. Every push back from Maxey and George was met with an answer, and they couldn’t keep pace.
This is what Boston can tap into at a level that few teams can match. They have a one-two scoring punch that can create at all three levels, off the dribble, in the most stressful moments. They’re comfortable in the chaos of a crunch time battle.
Not bad for a duo that critics and pundits alike spent years insisting couldn’t work.
