With 6:41 left in the second quarter, the Sixers took a 22-point lead and looked all the aggressors. J.J. Redick caught fire from behind the arc, Joel Embiid was pounding the paint and the offensive glass, and T.J. McConnell was cutting up the defense (and outplaying Ben Simmons but that’s a subplot for another story).
The Celtics, on the other hand, were stuck in the mud. Terry Rozier was cold with an 0-for and no assists. Turnover after dumb turnover turned into easy Philly baskets. Boston was getting bullied in the Garden.