Boston Celtics into NBA Finals as they beat Philadelphia 76ers
Boston Celtics advance to Eastern Conference NBA Finals vs. Miami Heat after a dominant 112-88 Game 7 win over the Philadelphia 76ers as Jayson Tatum scores an historic 51 points
- Jayson Tatum scored 51 points – the most in a Game 7 in NBA history – on Sunday
- The Boston Celtics have reached Conference Finals for second consecutive year
- DailyMail.com provides all the latest international sports news
Jayson Tatum scored the most points in a Game 7 ever – 51 – as the Boston Celtics reached the NBA Conference Finals Sunday night.
The Celtics dominated the semifinal series decider to secure a 112-88 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers and advance to the Conference Finals for the second successive year.
One game after missing 14 of his first 15 shots only to awaken in the fourth quarter, Tatum got off to the fast start the Celtics needed.
He scored 25 in the back-and-forth first half and 17 more in Boston’s 33-10 third quarter that turned a three-point lead into a runaway.
The Celtics, who lost to the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals last year, will face the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference finals, which begin on Wednesday in Boston.
Jayson Tatum scored a huge 51 points as the Boston Celtics beat the Philadelphia 76ers
He scored 25 in the back-and-forth first half and 17 more in Boston’s 33-10 third quarter
James Harden (left) and Joel Embiid (right) look dejected during their defeat Sunday night
Tatum added 13 rebounds and Jaylen Brown scored 25 points for the Celtics, who rallied from a 3-2 deficit in the best-of-seven series to keep alive their hopes for an unprecedented 18th NBA championship.
Tatum was subbed out of the game with three minutes left to a standing ovation from the crowd, which soon broke out in a ‘Beat the Heat!’ chant.
Newly-crowned NBA MVP Joel Embiid scored 15 points on 5-for-18 shooting, and Tobias Harris scored 19 for Philadelphia.
Tatum celebrates in the Celtics’ 112-88 Game 7 victory over the 76ers at the TD Garden, Boston
NBA stars Embiid and Tatum embrace after the finale of the epic semifinal series on Sunday
Marcus Smart (left) and Robert Williams III (right) hug during Game 7 of the playoff game
Donnie Wahlberg cheers on the Celtics during the third quarter of their 112-88 victory
The Sixers lost in the conference semifinals for the third straight year, and the fifth time in six seasons; they have not gotten any farther since reaching the NBA Finals in 2001.
Tatum started 0 for 6 in a Game 5 loss and missed 14 of his first 15 shots overall from the floor in Game 6 before erupting for four 3-pointers in the final 4:14 to force the decisive seventh game.
He picked up where he left off, scoring Boston’s first basket and 11 points in the first quarter, 14 more in the second and outscoring the Sixers on his own, 17-10, in the third.
The 33-10 edge in the third was the most lopsided quarter in a Game 7 since at least 1997.
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