Payton Pritchard Just Made 6 Threes and the Sixers' Defense Fell Apart: Boston Closing In on the Series

The Celtics are one win away from sending the Sixers home. After taking a 3-1 series lead with back-to-back wins in Philadelphia, Boston heads back to TD Garden on Tuesday night with a chance to finish this thing in Game 5. The second-seeded Celtics absolutely dismantled the seventh-seeded 76ers 128-96 in Game 4, and it wasn't even close.

Pritchard's Breakout Game Has Philly Panicking

Payton Pritchard, Boston's backup point guard, went absolutely nuclear. He dropped 32 points on 6-of-12 shooting from three, and that's the story right there. After going just 2-of-13 from deep in the first two games, Pritchard found his rhythm. He nailed 5 of 10 threes in Game 3 and somehow got even better in Game 4. "I don't know if I saw anything different," Pritchard said. "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."

The entire Celtics team fed off that energy. Boston made 24 threes total, shooting 48.3% from the field and 45.3% from downtown. That 24 made threes? That's a franchise playoff record. Jayson Tatum chipped in five of his own from beyond the arc.

Sixers' Defense Couldn't Guard Anyone

Philly's perimeter defense was a disaster, plain and simple. After keeping Boston's offense relatively contained in the first two games, the Sixers had no answers in Philadelphia. "It was very bad," 76ers coach Nick Nurse said about his team's defensive showing. "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 rhythm for a couple games, and there was none of that."

Joel Embiid returned to the court after missing the first three games following emergency appendectomy surgery on April 9. He finished with 26 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists, which would normally be solid. But he didn't get any help. Tyrese Maxey scored 22 points but took only three shots in the entire first half. "That can't happen," Maxey said. "That's on me. That absolutely can't happen. That's unacceptable by me... We can't win basketball games with that happening and I take full responsibility on that one." VJ Edgecombe was 2-of-9 from the field with six points.

Game 5 Looms: One More Win for Boston

Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla knows the 76ers won't go down without a fight. "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."

The Sixers have three chances to win one game and keep their season alive. Tuesday night in Boston is their next shot. The winner of this series moves on to face either the third-seeded Knicks or sixth-seeded Hawks, with that matchup currently tied 2-2.

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