St. Louisan Jayson Tatum had a big performance on Monday night, but it was James Harden ultimately who stole the show; and home court advantage.
Harden scored a season-high 45 points to lead the Philadelphia 76ers to a 119-115 victory over the Boston Celtics in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals in Boston.
Tatum scored 39 points to lead the Celtics along with 11 rebounds and five assists. He scored 26 of those points in the first half. He was 14 of 25 from the field and four of five from 3-point range.
However, it was Harden who turned back the clock with a spectacular performance. With star center Joel Embiid sitting out with a sprained knee injury, Harden stepped up with a game that was reminiscent of his career with the Houston Rockets, where he was the league’s leading scorer and Most Valuable Player.
Tatum made two free throws to give the Celtics a 115-114 lead, but then it was Harden’s turn. He completed his stellar performance with a 3-pointer with 8.4 seconds left to give the 76ers a 117-115 lead. It proved to be the winning points.
The series will resume with Game 2 on Wednesday night in Boston. Tip off is at 7 p.m. (St. Louis time).
