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Boston Celtics Fall to Philadelphia 76ers in Game 4

By Alex Eddy

PHILADELPHIA, PA - MAY 7: T.J. McConnell #12 of the Philadelphia 76ers reacts as he walks towards the bench in the fourth quarter against the Boston Celtics during Game Four of the Eastern Conference Second Round of the 2018 NBA Playoffs at Wells Fargo Center on May 7, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The 76ers defeated the Celtics 103-92. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - MAY 7: T.J. McConnell #12 of the Philadelphia 76ers reacts as he walks towards the bench in the fourth quarter against the Boston Celtics during Game Four of the Eastern Conference Second Round of the 2018 NBA Playoffs at Wells Fargo Center on May 7, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The 76ers defeated the Celtics 103-92. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /
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The Boston Celtics could not complete the sweep, and head back home to try and close the series in five

The Boston Celtics were unable to pull off the sweep in Philadelphia, falling to the Sixers 103-92 at Wells Fargo.

This game will go down at as the “T.J. McConnell game.” Brett Brown inserted McConnell into the starting lineup and he did not disappoint. He recorded a career-high 19 points in a career-high 39 minutes.

McConnell had been good in spurts in this series, and Brown awarded his play with a spot in the starting lineup for Game 4. McConnell has a unique blend of toughness and energy, while also being poised and smart with the basketball.

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To go along with his 19 points, he added seven rebounds, five assists, and zero turnovers. In addition to Embiid (+22), McConnell led the way in plus-minus (+18). Dario Saric was also terrific, dropping a game-high 25 points to go along with eight rebounds. Embiid and Simmons both had double-doubles.

Boston, who didn’t have one starter with a positive plus-minus, were never in sync in this game, especially in the second half. The Celtics finished with 15 turnovers and were unable to dig themselves out of the hole that they created in the 3rd quarter (The Ilyasova three-point play and technicals by Stevens and Jaylen Brown sure didn’t help).

They couldn’t string together consistent offensive possessions and they couldn’t get enough stops down the stretch. Settling for outside jumpers really hurt them tonight. The Celtics also had 28 total fouls, their highest total so far in the series. This was definitely their worst game on the defensive end.

Jayson Tatum led the Celtics with 20 points, as he continues his 20-point streak. Marcus Morris finished with 17 points off the bench.

Next: Celtics showing value of regular season

The good news is that the Celtics did grab one game in Philadelphia and will head home with a 3-1 lead. This series would look completely different if they weren’t able to win Game 3 in OT. It would have been nice to finish off this series tonight, but Boston is still in the driver’s seat as they look to end it in Game 5.

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