Celtics Use Big 2nd Half, Hold Off Scrappy 76ers 110-106
BOSTON (AP) — Avery Bradley had 26 points and nine rebounds and the Boston Celtics rallied in the fourth quarter to beat the Philadelphia 76ers 110-106 on Friday night.
Isaiah Thomas added 24 points, and Al Horford scored 14 of his 19 points in the final period. The Celtics have won nine out of their last 11 and four straight at home.
Joel Embiid led Philadelphia with 23 points, and Ersan Ilyasova added 20.
Philadelphia led by as many as 14 in the first half before the Celtics tied it and took the lead back early in the fourth quarter.
After sitting out practice Thursday with the flu, Embiid was on a 28-minute limit Friday. He made the most of his time, adding eight rebounds and six assists.
It was tied at 104 with less than a minute to play when Gerald Henderson blocked a jumper by Avery Bradley. Embiid was fouled on Philadelphia's next trip down the floor and hit a pair of free throws to put the 76ers in front.
But Horford got wide open in the corner on the Boston's ensuing possession and hit a 3 with 17.2 seconds left. The Celtics nearly stole Philadelphia's inbounds pass after the timeout, then Amir Johnson rebounded a rushed jumper by Ilyasova and was fouled.
Ilyasova had one more chance in the closing seconds, but came up with air on his 3-point attempt.
Boston picked things up in the second half after the 76ers dominated early.
Embiid scored 17 points in the first half and Sixers fans at TD Garden chanted "Trust the process! Trust the process!" at times as Philadelphia surged in front.
Embiid was the engine throughout, getting free for some dunks on offense and altering shots on the defensive end.
He joked during the team's shoot around Friday morning that he wanted an opportunity to guard Thomas on defense.
He got the chance a few times in the first half, getting Thomas on defensive switches. Thomas got a layup and drew a foul on one occasion, but failed to convert on the free throw.
Meanwhile Boston went cold overall, connecting on just 7 of 22 field goal attempts in the second quarter.
TIP-INS
76ers: T. J. McConnell had a career-high 15 assists. ... Held a 30-6 scoring advantage in the paint in the first half.
Celtics: Improved to 17-9 when scoring 100 or more points. ...Outscored the 76ers 15-10 in second chance points.
UP NEXT
76ers: At Brooklyn on Sunday.
Celtics: Host New Orleans on Saturday night.