Celtics complete first-round sweep of 76ers

LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA - AUGUST 23: Kemba Walker #8 of the Boston Celtics and Jayson Tatum #0 react during the third quarter against the Philadelphia 76ers in Game Four of the first round of the playoffs at The Field House at ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex on August 23, 2020 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Kim Klement-Pool/Getty Images) /

The Boston Celtics are moving onto the second round

When looking at the Eastern Conference of the NBA Playoffs, the most competitive series was expected to be the Boston Celtics-Philadelphia 76ers tilt. But any chance the Sixers had of putting on a grand effort were dashed after guard Ben Simmons suffered what turned out to be a season-ending knee injury during Philadelphia’s seeding games.

Entering Game 4 with a 3-0 series lead, the Celtics completed the sweep of the 76ers with a 110-106 victory. That means that Philadelphia have the rather inglorious distinction of being the first-ever team to be eliminated from the Walt Disney World bubble.

Boston just too much for Philadelphia to handle

The 76ers haven’t had the greatest luck inside the bubble, and that was further exemplified in the third quarter. Forward Tobias Harris suffered an eye laceration after slamming his face on the court while attempting a block on Celtics forward Jayson Tatum. Luckily, Harris’ injury wasn’t serious, as he returned to the game shortly afterwards.

But Harris’ return just wasn’t enough to save Philly from the broomsticks. Point guard Kemba Walker was Boston’s star of the game, as he shot 8-of-15 from the field and 4-of-9 from the three-point line for 32 points, while recording four assists and four rebounds. Tatum scored 28 points and grabbed 15 boards in 40 minutes of action.

As for the 76ers, center Joel Embiid did all he could to prevent getting swept out of Orlando, but to no avail. The Sixers big man scored 30 points and secured 10 rebounds, but didn’t receive much help from his team, with the exception being Harris (20 points, 10 rebounds).

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The Celtics now await the winner of the Toronto Raptors-Brooklyn Nets series, with Toronto holding a 3-0 series lead entering their fourth contest on Sunday. As for the Sixers they’ll spend their early exit trying figure out what went wrong this year but more importantly, figure out how they can return to the top-tier of the Eastern Conference.

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