Celtics blow out 76ers in Game 2, 121-87, to tie East semis at 1-1

BOSTON -- After dropping Game 1 to a Joel Embiid-less 76ers team on Monday night, the Celtics had to send a message in Wednesday night's Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.

A message was indeed sent, as the Celtics blew out the 76ers, 121-87, to tie the series at a game apiece. Embiid's return was merely a footnote as Boston handled the NBA's MVP once again, and won big despite Jayson Tatum spending most of his time on the Boston bench.

Tatum played just 19 minutes after picking up his third foul with 5:33 left in the first half and his fourth with 7:34 left in the third. But Jaylen Brown was happy to carry the load for Boston, leading the way with 25 points off 9-for-17 shooting. He led a very balanced attack by the Boston offense, with five players scoring in double digits. 

Marcus Smart was a menace throughout the game and scored 15 points, as did Derrick White, who hit three of his six 3-point attempts. Malcolm Brogdon was an absolute stud off the bench for Boston, scoring 23 points while knocking down seven of his 15 shots. The Sixth Man of the Year was 6-for-10 from downtown, and his long-range attack took over the game for a stretch in the third quarter.

After missing two games with a right knee injury, Embiid returned for Philly and looked rusty, scoring 15 points in 27 minutes of action. After torching the Celtics for 45 points in Game 1 to lead the 76ers to a victory, James Harden was just 2-for-14 from the floor -- and 0-for-6 from downtown -- for 12 points.

You can credit some solid Boston defense for the low output by Philadelphia's stars. While Game 1 was a shootout with very little defense, Game 2 was an absolute rock fight to start. The Celtics got back to playing defense and it led to easy looks on offense.

Boston jumped out to a 12-point lead in the first half, and this time around, they did not let it slip away. The Celtics seized control of the game late in the third quarter when they ripped off a 13-0 run that turned into a 19-3 run. Boston outscored Philadelphia 35-16 in the quarter to take a 92-65 lead into the final frame.

Threes were wild for the Celtics in the third, with just about everyone hitting shots from downtown. Brogdon blew the game wide open with three makes from distance over a two-minute span. White hit two, and Brown and Grant Williams each hit a 3-pointer in the quarter.

Boston's lead grew to 32 when Brogdon drained another three early in the fourth quarter, giving the C's a 100-68 edge.

The Celtics shot an incredible 20-for-51 from 3-point range, while they kept the 76ers to 6-for-30 from downtown. It was a massive difference from Game 1, when the C's hit just 10 of their 26 bids from long distance, and Philadelphia was 17-for-38 from three.

And led by Brogdon's incredible performance, the Boston bench outscored Philly's reserves 54-26. Grant Williams added 12 points off the pine for the Celtics, while Payton Pritchard scored eight points in his 12 minutes of garbage time.

The Celtics still have some work to do, since the 76ers stole home-court advantage in the series by taking Game 1. The Celtics can steal it right back by taking one of the next two games in Philadelphia, with Game 3 set for Friday night at 7:30 p.m.