The Boston Celtics will look to regain control of their Eastern Conference semifinal playoff series when they face the visiting Philadelphia 76ers in a pivotal Game 5 on Tuesday night.
The 76ers evened the series 2-2 with a 116-115 victory in overtime on Sunday in Philadelphia. James Harden scored a game-high 42 points, including a go-ahead 3-pointer with 19.0 seconds left in overtime. He also made a jump shot that tied the game with 16.1 seconds left in the fourth quarter.
In addition to leading his team in scoring, Harden had eight rebounds and nine assists.
Third-seeded Philadelphia won despite trailing by five points following a Malcom Brogdon 3-pointer with 2:04 remaining in regulation.
Harden poured in 45 points during Philadelphia’s 119-115 victory in Game 1 — when a sprained knee prevented Joel Embiid from playing — but shot a combined 5-for-28 from the field in Games 2 and 3.
Boston allowed 92 points in the first three quarters of Sunday’s loss but limited Philadelphia to 15 points in the fourth, when the 76ers shot 31.6 percent from the field. That helped the second-seeded Celtics erase a 16-point, third-quarter deficit.
Despite the loss, Boston’s Al Horford took a glass half-full approach after the game.
Jayson Tatum had 24 points, six assists, four blocks and a playoff career-high 18 rebounds to lead the Celtics. Jaylen Brown finished with 23 points but was limited to three field goal attempts in the fourth quarter, as was Tatum.
Game 6 will be played Thursday in Philadelphia, and, if needed, Game 7 will be in Boston on Sunday. The team that advances will play either the Miami Heat or the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference final.
