Sixers 95, Celtics 90 (final)
Apparently it’s not always good to come home.
A funny thing happened on the way to an easy home victory for the Celtics tonight, as the Philadelphia 76ers used a 19-0 run in the fourth quarter to snatch a 95-90 victory over Boston here at the TD Banknorth Garden.
It’s hard to blame the Celtics for being a bit sluggish in this one. The C’s were coming off a five-game road trip that featured games against four of the best teams in the Western Conference. The .500 Sixers don’t exactly pop off the schedule.
But Philadelphia has been hot of late, winning 9 of its last 11 games before tonight. The Sixers proved tonight they can stay with anybody, staying within 5 points of Boston entering the fourth quarter.
After an Eddie House jumper, the Celtics were ahead, 80-69, at the 8:20 mark in the fourth. But the Sixers scored the next 11 points to tie the game at 80.
With the game tied, the Sixers scored the next 5 points to take an 85-80 lead with 3:28 to play. Andre Iguadola capped that run with a steal and an emphatic dunk, prompting Celtics coach Doc Rivers to call timeout.
It would get worse. The Philly run would reach 19-0 before Paul Pierce made a free throw with 1:38 to play. By that point the game was out of reach.
After shooting above 50 percent for the first three quarters, the Celtics dropped below that mark in the fourth. They scored just 19 points in the entire period.
Kevin Garnett led the Celtics with 18 points and 5 rebounds. Rajon Rondo had 7 assists and Ray Allen 6 assists for Boston.
Andre Miller paced Philadelphia with 20 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists. Iguodala had 28 points for the Sixers.
The Celtics return to action Wednesday night at 7 in a nationally-televised game against the Phoenix Suns.
We’ll have plenty of postgame reaction from both locker rooms in a bit.
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