Tatum sets Game 7 record with 51 points, Celtics beat 76ers 112-88

BOSTON (AP)— Jayson Tatum scored 51 points – the most in a Game 7 in NBAhistory — and the Boston Celtics beat the Philadelphia 76ers 112-88on Sunday to advance to the Eastern Conference finals for thesecond straight year.

One gameafter missing 14 of his first 15 shots only to awaken in the fourthquarter, Tatum got off to the fast start the Celtics needed. Hescored 25 in the back-and-forth first half and 17 more in Boston’s33-10 third quarter that turned a three-point lead into arunaway.

TheCeltics, who lost to the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finalslast year, will face the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conferencefinals, which begin on Wednesday in Boston.

Tatum added13 rebounds and Jaylen Brown scored 25 points for the Celtics, whorallied from a 3-2 deficit in the best-of-seven series to keepalive their hopes for an unprecedented 18th NBA championship. Tatumwas subbed out of the game with three minutes left to a standingovation from the crowd, which soon broke out in a “Beat the Heat!”chant.

Newlycrowned NBA MVP Joel Embiid scored 15 points on 5-for-18 shooting,and Tobias Harris scored 19 for Philadelphia. The Sixers lost inthe conference semifinals for the third straight year, and thefifth time in six seasons; they have not gotten any farther sincereaching the NBA Finals in 2001.

Tatumstarted 0 for 6 in a Game 5 loss and missed 14 of his first 15shots overall from the floor in Game 6 before erupting for four3-pointers in the final 4:14 to force the decisive seventhgame.

He pickedup where he left off, scoring Boston’s first basket and 11 pointsin the first quarter, 14 more in the second and outscoring theSixers on his own, 17-10, in the third. The 33-10 edge in the thirdwas the most lopsided quarter in a Game 7 since at least 1997.

BANGED-UPBROWN

Brown beganthe game with the black mask he has worn since breaking a bone inhis face before the All-Star break. He took it off and soonabsorbed an elbow to the face from James Harden, who was assessed aflagrant foul.

Browncontinued without the mask but finished the half with cotton in hisleft nostril. He also played with an edge, making both foul shotsand following it with a steal and layup as Boston went on a 9-0 runto erase a 35-26 deficit.

Brown alsodove into the Sixers bench to save a ball, then had words with thebench after Georges Niang grabbed his leg and kept him from gettingback on the court. Both players were given technical fouls.

Williamsfollowed the commotion with a layup that tied the score 35-all.

WHAT’S UP,DOC?

Sixerscoach Doc Rivers is 6-10 in seventh games. The 10 defeats are fivemore than any other NBA coach and three more than the NHL’s MikeBabcock and Bruce Boudreau. His teams are 6-16 in their last 22chances to close out an opponent in a playoff series.

“It’s anhonor to keep getting teams to these places,” he said before thegame. “There’s people, your friends who look at you like, ‘Why doyou like this?’ And this is what it’s about. You put yourself outthere because you want to win. And you know if you do that you haveto put yourself in these situations over and over and over again.And it’s worth it. It’s worth it. And that’s what I tell myguys.”

TIP-INS

Tatum isthe sixth player since 1997 to score 25 points or more in the firsthalf of a seventh game. The last was Luka Doncic, who had 29against the Clippers in the first round of the 2021 playoffs. PaulPierce scored 26 for the Celtics against Cleveland in the secondround in 2008. … The 10 points Philadelphia scored were tied forthe fewest in any Game 7 quarter in the shot clock era.