The Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers faced off in a hard fought, nail biting game 1 in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. The Celtics managed to edge out the 76ers, 101-98, in a game that came down to the final seconds.
The Celtics' Kyrie Irving was the star of the show, scoring a game-high 37 points. He was backed up by strong performances from Al Horford (17 points, 11 rebounds) and Jayson Tatum (16 points).
The 76ers were led by Joel Embiid, who finished with 27 points, 12 rebounds, and six assists. Ben Simmons and Jimmy Butler both added 16 points each, while JJ Redick chipped in with 15.
The game was back-and-forth throughout, with neither team leading by more than seven points. The 76ers fought back from a nine-point fourth quarter deficit to make it a one-point game in the final minute. However, it was Irving who came up clutch, hitting the go-ahead layup with 15.9 seconds left to seal the victory.
The Celtics will now look to take a commanding 2-0 lead in the series as they head to Philadelphia for Game 2. If the 76ers want to take the series, they will have to find a way to slow down Irving and the Celtics' high-powered offense.
