Celtics vs 76ers: Pritchard and Tatum silence Embiid’s return as Boston leads 3-1

Boston powered past Philadelphia 128-96 as Joel Embiid returned from appendectomy. Payton Pritchard’s 32 points and Jayson Tatum’s playmaking helped the Celtics take a 3-1 series lead.

PHILADELPHIA — The Celtics arrived with a clear task: spoil Joel Embiid’s quick return and take control of the series. They did exactly that, beating the 76ers 128-96 to move one win from closing out their first-round matchup.

Celtics vs 76ers: Embiid returns, but Boston controls the night

Payton Pritchard poured in 32 points and hit six of Boston’s 24 triples, while Jayson Tatum finished with 30 points and 11 assists. Jaylen Brown added 20, and the Celtics produced the kind of balanced offensive output that makes a return storyline feel secondary.

Joel Embiid scored 26 points in 34 minutes, cleared to play for about 40 minutes before tipoff while wearing a protective brace. He wasted little time getting going—two free throws quickly got the 76ers on the board, and an early jam showed he had explosiveness right away.

But the rest of the game never matched the early promise.. After a hot start, Embiid missed seven straight shots, only to find a three-point play in the third quarter that briefly cut the deficit.. Even that lift didn’t change the larger pattern: Boston’s rhythm, shot selection, and defensive intensity kept Philadelphia from sustaining any meaningful run.

Pritchard adjustment, Celtics’ second-chance surge

The Celtics also won the margins that often decide playoff blowouts.. Boston out-rebounded Philadelphia by 14 in the first half, and those extra possessions helped fuel a 13-0 run in second-chance points.. Once that switch flipped, the 76ers had trouble both matching Boston’s physicality and finding clean scoring opportunities.

Philadelphia’s offense had bright moments, with Tyrese Maxey scoring 22 points, but the rest of the attack couldn’t stay consistent.. The early shooting numbers told the story before halftime: Embiid made 3 of 5 in the first quarter, while the team around him struggled with misses, including a stretch where the 76ers went 10 of 13 with no rhythm to follow.

Series outlook: Boston’s path to a closeout at home

There were earlier questions about how Boston would function when its stars were coming off major injuries or interruptions—especially around Jayson Tatum’s return from a ruptured Achilles tendon that sidelined him late in the previous postseason.. Those concerns have largely faded quickly, with Boston looking like a team that knows how to adjust without losing its identity.

Now the focus shifts to the next night of basketball: Game 5 is Tuesday night in Boston.. The Celtics can clinch the series at home, and the emotional contrast will be sharp—Philadelphia will argue that Embiid’s comeback mattered, while Boston will point to the scoreboard and the way the team handled his return.

For the 76ers, Embiid’s appendix surgery and shortened timeline inevitably add pressure to manage minutes, conditioning, and shot timing.. Even if his 26 points show toughness, the larger issue is what happens around him when the rest of the roster can’t keep pace—something Boston made difficult with rebounds, pressure, and decisive transition opportunities.

For Boston, the implication is simple: if the Celtics keep enforcing the same physical and tactical standards, the series can end quickly rather than drag into late adjustments.. The East, for now, looks increasingly Boston-shaped—and Philadelphia’s task is to find a way to slow that momentum before it hardens into inevitability.