After dominating Sunday's series opener, the Celtics failed to capitalize on their 1-0 advantage over the 76ers. They simply felt out of it for the majority of Tuesday's Game 2, and had no answer for a massive response from Philadelphia, who got huge performances from VJ Edgecombe (30 points and 10 rebounds), Tyrese Maxey (29 points and nine assists), and Paul George (19 points, four rebounds, and three assists).
A sad reality for Boston is that this will likely be a longer series now. They'll have to take at least one game in Philadelphia this weekend to ensure that they won't return home in a week down in this series.
Here's what stood out from a disappointing Game 2:
The playoff uniform system is broken
What happened to the game I love?
In what’s become a yearly tradition, the Celtics refuse to wear their traditional home white uniforms in back-to-back home playoff games. Instead, they elected to roll with the road greens on Tuesday, and it completely zapped all of the momentum they’d built in Sunday’s Game 1 win.
Away jerseys at home pic.twitter.com/KjEyYTXTuE https://t.co/hKLewrNCMy
— Sam LaFrance (@SamLaFranceNBA) April 21, 2026
Magnet ball sure can swing a game
Game 2 looked to be heading in a similar direction to Game 1. Boston jumped out to an early 13-point lead behind some loud scoring plays. That advantage quickly went up in smoke as Philly caught fire from beyond the arc.
After an 0-4 start from distance, the Sixers proceeded to drill eight of their next 13 attempts en route to a 37-point second-quarter explosion. Rookie guard Edgecombe was responsible for 20 of those points, including four triples.
Meanwhile, Boston couldn’t buy a basket. They sank just one of their eight attempts from long range as the 76ers took control of the game heading into the half and beyond.
The lost momentum was something the Celtics never really got back in this one. Anytime they’d climb back into the game, Philly would simply answer any run with a three.
Drop defense when threes are the difference maker is a choice
The two back-breaking threes that effectively put this game to bed both came after the Celtics conceded wide-open looks for Maxey off of screens. Drop was Boston’s defensive strategy of choice throughout the second half.
To their credit, they remained consistent with it up until that point. As frustrating as it was to watch, those perhaps unexpected open looks for the Sixers threw them off for stretches. The eventual daggers from Maxey were a reminder that it can only work for so long.
Once the Cs switched out of it, the 76ers scored easily on the next two possessions -- both on drives.
The Jays need some help
The Celtics got little production from anyone not named Jayson Tatum or Jaylen Brown, who combined for 45 of Boston's 97 points.
No other player managed to crack double digits in what was a frigid night at TD Garden.
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