Crazy ending in Philly: Jayson Tatum throws game-winner, Embiid almost does a miracle
The great battle between the two top teams in the Eastern rankings, the Boston Celtics and the Philadelphia 76ers, ended in a scenario that no one could have expected.
Jayson Tatum was the owner of an extremely cold 3-point step-back to bring victory for the Boston Celtics. But soon after, Joel Embiid's shot was even more impressive when he swung his arm from 2/3 of the field.
The ball went into the basket during the explosion of nearly 21,000 fans at the Wells Fargo Center, unfortunately it was not counted because the time of the match was up.
The slow motion shows that the ball is still in Joel Embiid's hand when the clock reaches 0.0 seconds. The Bigman Sixers lost some time due to being stopped by Derrick White and Marcus Smart. Before that, Jayson Tatum put Boston leading 110-107 with about 1.3 seconds left in the game.
Two crazy throws ended a very watchable tug-of-war between the Celtics and the 76ers. With the home field advantage, Philly was the better team to start and lead by 9 points in the first half. Then Embiid and his teammates widened the gap to 15 points in the middle of the third half.
Determined not to give up, the Boston Celtics responded with a series of 35-12 points to lead the Sixers by 10 points in the middle of the fourth half (score 97-87). It was thought that the away team would keep this advantage, but that did not happen.
Joel Embiid and James Harden took turns scoring to bring the game back to balance before Tyrese Maxey spoke up, helping Philadelphia once again rise.
The two sides struggled point by point for the last 90 seconds of the fourth half, gradually leading to Jayson Tatum's game-winner to decide the outcome of the match.
Jayson Tatum scored 18 points, 13 rebounds and 6 assists in this game. Ahead of him is Jaylen Brown's 26 points, 3 assists, 3 steals. All five players in the Celtics starting line-up scored over 10 points, plus 18 points (7-9 FG, 2-3 3PT) from Derrick White on the bench.
On the Philadelphia 76ers side, Joel Embiid shone with a double-double of 41 points, 12 rebounds, 5 asssists and 3 blocks. James Harden (21 points, 8 assists, 3 steals) and Tobias Harris (19 points, 8-12 FG) also contributed significantly. However, the Sixers no longer really stand out, in contrast to the evenness of the opponent.
This victory helps the Boston Celtics consolidate the No. 1 position in the East and the NBA with a total record of 43 wins, 17 defeats. They temporarily lead 0.5 matches against the second team, Milwaukee Bucks (42 wins, 17 losses).
In the next game, Jayson Tatum and his teammates will face the New York Knicks. Meanwhile, the Philadelphia 76ers face the Miami Heat.
