The Boston Celtics held on to defeat the Philadelphia 76ers 110-107 on Saturday after Jayson Tatum hit a crucial three-pointer and Joel Embiid’s full-court buzzer-beater was called back.
With just two seconds remaining, Marcus Smart’s deft pass to Tatum after Derrick White’s inbound was the game-winning triple.
Embiid attempted a last-ditch long-range shot, which he made, but replays revealed he let go of the ball after the shot had expired, giving the Celtics the victory.
Tatum finished the game with 18 points on 7 of 17 shooting after struggling to shoot the ball well throughout. However, he delivered when it counted. The MVP candidate also contributed six assists and 13 rebounds.
Al Horford turned the game around with four three-pointers in the third quarter as the Celtics rallied from a 15-point deficit to lead at the final change.
Horford finished with 15 points, while Jaylen Brown top scored for Boston with 26 points and three steals.
Embiid had 41 points for the game with 12 rebounds and five assists, while James Harden added 21 points with eight assists.
The Eastern Conference-leading Celtics have won three straight, improving their record to 44-17, while the 76ers, third in the East, are 39-20.
JT CALLED GAME 🤯 🤯 🤯 pic.twitter.com/qkchuiVdHF
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) February 26, 2023
Grizzlies rout Nuggets in best in the west battle
The Memphis Grizzlies blew away the Denver Nuggets 112-94 in a match-up between the Western Conference’s top two as Ja Morant scored 23 points with seven rebounds.
The Grizzlies led by as many as 35 points, opening up a 66-42 half-time lead and keeping the Nuggets to a season-low team score. Denver are 42-19 while Memphis are 36-23.
Nikola Jokic scored 15 points with 13 rebounds and three assists, while Jamal Murray only managed eight points on three-of-13 shooting from the field.
BRUTIFUL MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES BASKETBALL 〽️
— Memphis Grizzlies (@memgrizz) February 26, 2023
19 seconds. watch and enjoy. pic.twitter.com/fWXlVYaFj9