Celtics bounce back from Game 2 loss, defeat Sixers on road in Game 3

The Boston Celtics needed to bounce back in a big way on Friday night, and did just that on the road for the first time in the quarterfinal series against the Philadelphia 76ers. After dropping Game 2 at home earlier in the week, Boston responded in a big way, defeating the Sixers on their home court as Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum combined for 50 points between them, putting their fingerprints all over this game. Coming off of Brown's 36-point game in the Game 2 loss, the Celtics found more balanced scoring from their role players, including Payton Pritchard and Nikola Vucevic off the bench. Philadelphia was once again led by superstar guard Tyrese Maxey who had a game-high 31 points in Game 3, but it was not enough to hold off the Celtics. Boston's win gives them a 2-1 series lead, with one day to rest before looking to take a commanding 3-1 lead on Sunday night. Here's our quick recap of Boston's victory on Friday night:

Final score: Boston Celtics 108, Philadelphia 76ers 100

Keys to the game:

**Controlled the glass:** Even without Joel Embiid in the series so far, Philadelphia has been able to establish themselves down low in the paint, both in the rebound category and with points in the paint. The Sixers still grabbed control with points down low, but the Celtics were able to outrebound them 45-37, as they had four different players with at least 5 rebounds, with Jaylen Brown and Neemias Queta tied for a team-high of 7 boards. **Contained Philly's supporting cast**: VJ Edgecombe was the thorn in the side of the Celtics during Game 2, putting up 30 points in Boston while hitting several big moment shots and the ultimate dagger in the Sixers upset win. The Celtics defense locked down on Edgecombe in this one, holding him to under 30% shooting on the night, as he contributed just 10 points. Although Philadelphia had several players hit double digits, none of them besides Tyrese Maxey eclipsed 20 points.