Medical clearance and the box-score gulf 
Joel Embiid’s status is updated. He has been cleared to play. The centre posts 26 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists. He opens with eight straight points. Paul George briefly puts Philadelphia in front, 13-12. Then Payton Pritchard catches fire with 32 points and 12 made shots on 21 attempts, and the whole game tilts. Two more outside attempts go down. The second unit, with Baylor Scheierman and Jordan Walsh in the mix, pushes the long-range output higher, as Boston pulls away from deep, 31-16.
The first quarter ends with Payton Pritchard stretching the lead, 34-18. He keeps widening the gap. The margin reaches 21, 40-19. By half-time, Philadelphia are staring at an 18-point hole. Paul George’s work is blunted by a boosted Jayson Tatum play, with Boston up 59-41.
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The starters take over and the home side is left chasing 
The third quarter shows Boston’s starters taking control. Jaylen Brown stretches the lead to 66-43. Jayson Tatum, with 30 points, 7 rebounds and 11 assists, keeps the visitors rolling from outside at 78-55. Payton Pritchard keeps trading blows from deep with the Embiid-George axis. Boston’s mid-range finish over Andre Drummond closes the section.
The final period confirms the visitors’ control. Jayson Tatum hits two more from outside, including a free throw after a foul on Kelly Oubre Jr., to make it 104-74. And yes, the Boston crowd can hear the travelling fans from Massachusetts enjoying every second of it.
The numbers tell the ugly story
A franchise mark falls. Ron Harper Jr. hits the team’s 23rd three-pointer. Then Max Shulga drills the 24th with 90 seconds left. The buzzer confirms the blowout, 128-96. Boston now lead the series 3-1.
The individual numbers are just as harsh on Embiid. His plus-minus comes in at -25, the worst on the home side. Philadelphia also get beaten badly on the glass, 30 rebounds to 51. Boston make the most of that edge, with Payton Pritchard setting a new personal playoff high of 32 points. The Celtics also finish at 45 percent from three.
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