NBA: Celtics return home with chance to finish off reeling Sixers

The Boston Celtics are one win away from advancing to the Eastern Conference semifinals after taking a commanding 3-1 lead over the visiting Philadelphia 76ers in their best-of-seven first-round series.

The Celtics will have a chance to close out the series in Game 5 on Tuesday night after winning two straight games in Philadelphia, following a split of the first two contests in Boston.

Philadelphia coach Nick Nurse admitted his team struggled defensively in Game 4, a 128-96 defeat that left the 76ers on the brink of elimination.

“Played another about-as-bad-as-you-can-play game,” Nurse said. “That’s two out of four in this series. We played well in the other two, and we’ve got to get back to playing well quickly. We’ve got to go get one.”

A key concern for Philadelphia has been defending the perimeter, as Boston delivered a dominant shooting performance in Game 4. The Celtics connected on 24 three-pointers, shooting 48.3% overall and 45.3% from beyond the arc — both critical factors in building their series advantage.

Reserve guard Payton Pritchard led Boston’s outside shooting surge, finishing with 32 points after hitting 6 of 12 from three-point range. His hot shooting marked a sharp turnaround after going 2-of-13 from deep in the first two games of the series, followed by a strong showing in Game 3.

“I don’t know if I saw anything different,” said Pritchard. “It’s just playing with that aggression, that spark. I felt it in Game 3. I thought it was a step in the right direction in terms of getting my rhythm back.”

Boston’s 24 made three-pointers set a new franchise record for a playoff game. Jayson Tatum contributed five triples as part of the balanced offensive attack.

“It was very bad,” Nurse said of Philadelphia’s defensive effort. “It just didn’t seem like any matchup could guard anybody one-on-one. We had them pushed out, bottled up, and off rhythm for a couple of games, and none of that was there.”

The 76ers did receive a boost with the return of Joel Embiid, who came back after missing the first three games following an emergency appendectomy on April 9. Embiid led Philadelphia with 26 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists, but the supporting cast struggled to keep pace.

Tyrese Maxey added 22 points, though he attempted only three shots in the first half. VJ Edgecombe also had an off night, finishing 2-of-9 from the field with six points.

“That can’t happen,” Maxey said. “That’s on me. That absolutely can’t happen. That’s unacceptable. I was playing within the flow of the game, and it just happened that way. We can’t win like that, and I take full responsibility.”

On the Boston side, head coach Joe Mazzulla emphasized the importance of maintaining focus as the series shifts back to Boston.

“Regardless of who we’re playing, we have to understand they are a really good team,” Mazzulla said. “They can beat you on any given night. They’ve got great talent with their three stars and strong role players. We have to be disciplined in everything we can control — physical, mental, emotional, tactical — all of it.”

Veteran forward Jaylen Brown said Boston is focused on finishing the series as quickly as possible.

“We’ve got three chances to win one game,” Brown said. “And the goal is just to get it done as soon as possible.”

The winner of the Celtics-76ers series will advance to face either the third-seeded New York Knicks or the sixth-seeded Atlanta Hawks in the next round, with that series tied 2-2 heading into Game 5 in New York on Tuesday. -Field Level Media/Reuters