Edgecombe, Maxey lead 76ers past Celtics to even playoff series

Philadelphia answered the Game 1 blowout with force and a clearer offensive identity, beating the Boston Celtics 111-97 to even the first-round series at one game apiece. V.J. Edgecombe and Tyrese Maxey drove the turnaround, with Edgecombe scoring 30 points and grabbing 10 rebounds and Maxey adding 29 points and nine assists.

The adjustment was not just about shot-making. Philadelphia played through Boston’s pressure with pace, spacing and far more efficient perimeter scoring, hitting 19 of 39 from three-point range and shooting 47.8% overall. That was a sharp reversal from the opener and a pointed response to a Celtics defense that had dominated the series’ first game. Boston, by contrast, shot 39.3% from the field and made only 13 of 47 from deep.

Edgecombe’s night carried added weight because he played through pain after a hard fall early in the game and had to leave the floor visibly hurting twice, once in the first quarter and again in the third. He returned both times and kept producing, becoming the first rookie to record at least 30 points and 10 rebounds in a playoff game since Tim Duncan on May 5, 1998. Maxey’s speed and control gave Philadelphia another layer, forcing Boston to chase in space rather than set its defense.

The Celtics still had chances to make it a game. Boston cut a seven-point fourth-quarter deficit to 91-89, but Philadelphia answered with an 11-0 run to push the lead back to 102-89 with a little more than four minutes left. Boston’s 13 turnovers became 16 Philadelphia points, another decisive swing in a game decided as much by mistakes as by shot selection. Jaylen Brown led Boston with 36 points, while Jayson Tatum finished with 19 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists.

The tone was physical from the start, including a technical foul on Brown after an emphatic dunk over Adem Bona. Philadelphia also remained without Joel Embiid, who had started a strength-and-conditioning program after an appendectomy on April 9. The series now shifts to Philadelphia for Game 3 on Friday at 7:00 p.m. ET, with Game 4 set for Sunday, April 26, and, if needed, Games 5 through 7 scheduled for April 28, April 30 and May 2. The question going forward is whether the 76ers found a repeatable answer or simply a night when Edgecombe and Maxey overwhelmed Boston’s counters.