National Basketball Association

3 Takeaways From PHI-BOS – G3

Published Aug. 21, 2020 9:48 p.m. ET

The Philadelphia 76ers fought like their life was on the line, but it wasn't enough to keep the Boston Celtics from taking a 3-0 lead in their first round series on Friday.

Here are the key takeaways from Friday's matchup.

1. Boston turns it on at the right time

The fourth quarter turned out to be a battle of epic proportions between the two teams. Boston led 85-78 with 7:45 left in the game, but Philly took a 90-89 lead on a Shake Milton floater with 4:38 to go.

However, from that point forward, the Celtics outscored the Sixers 13-4, getting 6 points from Jaylen Brown and a timely pull-up jumper from Kemba Walker.

The Sixers did not score another bucket after Milton's floater, only converting four Joel Embiid free throws in the finals minutes.

2. No Tatum, no problem

In Games 1 and 2, Tatum paced the Celtics with 32 and 33 points, respectively. He connected on 22 of his 41 field goal attempts in those first two games, and he hit 8 threes in Game 2.

But on Friday, Tatum was absent – literally speaking.

The All-Star forward picked up three fouls in the first quarter and did not play a minute in the second quarter. With his rhythm officially thrown off, he finished the game 6-for-19 from the field and 2-for-9 from three.

But Brown (24) and Walker (21) combined to scored 45 points, and Marcus Smart pitched in 14, making up for Tatum's tough shooting night.

3. Philly's shooting woes continue

Despite its valiant effort, Philadelphia couldn't stop the Celtics when needed or get a bucket when needed.

Embiid finished the night with 30 points and 13 rebounds, his third consecutive double-double, but in the series, he is shooting just 37.5% from the field, down from his regular season clip of 47.7%.

No Sixers player shot above 35% on Friday, and as a team, Philly shot an abysmal 29.5% from the field.

Philly forward Tobias Harris has 40 total points in three games, and has only connected on 16-of-49 field goal attempts.