Celtics beat the 76ers 108-100 in
Game 3 behind 25 points each from Tatum and Brown
[April 25, 2026]
By DAN GELSTON
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Jayson Tatum continued to shine in his return
from injury with 25 points and Jaylen Brown also scored 25 to help
the Boston Celtics beat the Philadelphia 76ers 108-100 on Friday
night and take a 2-1 lead in the Eastern Conference first-round
series.
Game 4 is Sunday in Philadelphia.
Tatum was 5 of 9 on 3-pointers in just his 19th game this season
following surgery last May to repair his Achilles tendon. Brown
scored eight straight points late in the fourth for a 96-92 lead
that put some distance between them and a Sixers team brimming with
confidence following a surprise Game 2 win in Boston.
“We definitely wanted to come back and respond after dropping one on
our home floor,” Brown said. “We can't lose two games in a row in
the playoffs. It's tough. So this was a big win for us.”
Tatum and Brown did their part in the fourth, scoring 19 of the
Celtics' 29 points.
Tatum buried a 3 for a 100-96 lead and Payton Pritchard hit a
step-back 3 to make it 103-98. Tatum, still looking to regain his
top form after not playing for nearly a year, may just be there and
hit the final 3-point dagger for the 106-100 lead that even sent
Allen Iverson headed toward the exit.
Pritchard scored 15 points and the Celtics shot 44% from the floor.
Philadelphia played again without center Joel Embiid for Game 3 as
he continues to ease his way back into practice following an
appendectomy on April 9.
Tyrese Maxey scored 31 points and Paul George added 18.
“We were in a position to win this game,” Maxey said. "Come in
Sunday, got to get one. Got to protect home court and even the
series.”
The more games Embiid misses, the more Maxey and VJ Edgecombe have
played their way into the faces of the franchise.
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Boston Celtics' Jaylen Brown, left, goes up for a shot past
Philadelphia 76ers' Kelly Oubre Jr. during the first half of Game 3
in a first-round NBA playoffs basketball series Friday, April 24,
2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
Fans were already on their feet when the Sixers
brought the ball down in the fourth and roared when Maxey let a
28-footer fly and hit it for an 85-84 lead.
Yet growing pains are inevitable in the playoff process.
Tatum took the lead right back on a goaltending call against
Edgecombe. Edgecombe paired his second double-double of the series -
10 points and 10 rebounds — with a brutal 0-for-7 effort from
3-point range. With Boston up 90-85, Edgecombe was whistled for his
third foul when he smacked Brown on his way to the bucket. Brown hit
both to stretch the lead to seven.
Boston's 32-point Game 1 win stands as the outlier so far of two
otherwise fantastic playoff games. What has stayed steady, the team
with the 3-point edge wins. Boston hit 16 in Game 1 and the 76ers
had the advantage with 19 in Game 2. Led by five each from Tatum and
Pritchard, the Celtics made 20 of 47 in Game 3 while the Sixers were
just 12 of 35.
“They did make some pretty heavily contested ones, especially late
in the game," 76ers coach Nick Nurse said.
The Sixers got only a combined 22 points from Embiid replacements
Adem Bona and Andre Drummond.
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