Payton Pritchard Just Made 6 Threes and Boston's Breaking Philly's Defense in Half

The Celtics are one win away from advancing, and they're heading home to finish the job. Boston took a 3-1 series lead over Philadelphia with a dominant 128-96 victory in Game 4, and they'll get another crack at the reeling 76ers in Game 5 on Tuesday night at home.

This wasn't even close. The Celtics put on an offensive clinic in Philly, and the 76ers had absolutely no answer on the perimeter. Boston drained 24 three-pointers, shooting 48.3% overall and a scorching 45.3% from deep. That 24 made threes? That's a franchise record for made 3-pointers in a playoff game. Jayson Tatum connected on five of them himself, but the real story was Pritchard's explosion off the bench.

Pritchard Went Nuclear When It Mattered Most

Boston's backup point guard was 2-of-13 from three in the first two games. But starting in Game 3, something clicked. In that win, he made 5 of 10 from distance. Then in Game 4, he went absolutely off, hitting 6 of 12 threes for 32 points.

"I don't know if I saw anything different," Pritchard said after the Game 4 win. "It's more playing with that aggression, playing with that spark. I felt it in Game 3. I was telling some of the coaches I thought it was a step in the right direction as far as my aggression and getting my rhythm back."

Philly's coach Nick Nurse knows exactly what went wrong. "It was very bad," he said about his team's defensive effort. "It just didn't seem like any matchup could guard anybody one-on-one. We had them pushed out and bottled up and physical and really off kind of rhythm for a couple games, and there was none of that."

Embiid Returned but Couldn't Save This One

Philadelphia's Joel Embiid came back from an emergency appendectomy that forced him to miss the first three games. He put up 26 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists, but couldn't spark a comeback. Tyrese Maxey added 22 points but took just three shots in the first half, a problem he acknowledged after the loss.

"That can't happen," Maxey said. "That's on me. That absolutely can't happen. I was playing within the flow of the game and it kind of just happened that way. We can't win basketball games with that happening and I take full responsibility on that one."

Boston coach Joe Mazzulla isn't taking anything for granted in Game 5. "Regardless of who we're playing against, we have to have an understanding that they are a really good team," he said. "They can beat you on any given night. They've got great talent with the three stars that they have and their role players when they are at their best."

Jaylen Brown summed it up simply: "We've got three chances to win one game. And the goal is just to get it done as soon as possible."

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.