Key Moment
Game 4 came down to the final second. Actually, it came down to the final tenths of a second.
With Boston trailing by one during the final seconds of overtime, Jayson Tatum drove to the basket and kicked the ball out to Marcus Smart on the right wing. Smart gained control of the ball with 0.5 seconds left and quickly let it fly, and the bucket splashed through the net as the final horn sounded.
Or, did the horn sound before the shot? That’s what the referees needed to review to determine the outcome of the game.
By rule, the shot was considered a make since it went through the basket at the buzzer. It didn’t take much of a review, however, to realize that the ball left Smart’s fingers just tenths of a second after time had expired.
The ruling was overturned and with that, Philly had snuck out of Game 4 with a 116-115 victory to tie the series up at 2-2.
Key Player
Malcolm Brogdon continues to be a super sub for the Boston Celtics. This season’s Sixth Man of the Year was a key reason why Boston was able to battle back from 16 points down to not only force overtime, but also to have a chance to win the game both at the buzzer of regulation and at the buzzer of overtime. He scored 19 points on the afternoon, which was eight more than Philadelphia’s entire bench scored. In fact, Brogdon single-handedly scored more points than every other reserve in the game combined (17).
Brogdon contributed in other areas as well. He hauled in eight rebounds to rank second on the team behind only Jayson Tatum (18), and he also dished out two assists. Brogdon, Tatum and Robert Williams tied for the team’s top plus/minus rating at plus-5.
Box Score Nuggets
- Three Celtics scored between 21 and 24 points. Jayson Tatum totaled 24, Jaylen Brown scored 23, and Marcus Smart notched 21.
- James Harden led the game with 42 points.
- Tatum stuffed the box score with his 24 points, game-high 18 rebounds, six assists, four blocked shots and one steal.
- Both teams attempted 22 free throws, with Philly making 19 and Boston making 16.
- Joel Embiid totaled 34 points, 13 rebounds, four assists and one steal during the game.
- Both teams scored 42 points in the paint.
- Philadelphia attempted 14 more shots than Boston (89 to 75).
- Al Horford blocked a game-high five shots. He also scored 10 points, grabbed seven rebounds, dished four assists and grabbed two steals.
- Malcolm Brogdon's 19 points were more than every other reserve in the game combined to score (17).
- The Sixers committed only seven turnovers, while Boston turned it over only 10 times.
Quote of the Night
"He made the right play. We just didn't play fast enough."
- Joe Mazzulla on Jayson Tatum's drive-and-kick to Marcus Smart for the potential game-winning shot in overtime