A brilliant James Harden pushed Philadelphia ahead against Boston

James Harden led Philadelphia to a 119-115 victory over Boston. He scored 45 points to help his team take a 1-0 lead in the NBA Eastern Conference semifinals. "Harden was brilliant. He kept his cool. He knew when to attack and when not to and showed incredible patience.

I'm very happy for him because he showed what he's capable of. He was fantastic," coach Doc Rivers was full of praise for his star. The last time Harden crossed the 40-point mark was two years ago when he played with Boston and scored 41 against Brooklyn. And with today's achievement, he also tied his record in the playoffs.

He did it in the absence of Joel Embiid, around whom the team's play was built for most of the season. However, he has now been forced to miss the match as he is still recovering from a right knee injury. However, Harden did a great job as a leader. "We didn't go into the game expecting to lose.

We came here to win. Whether Joe comes back or not, we're going to be ready to fight," Harden said. Tyrese Maxey added 26 points and Tobias Harris finished with 18 for Philadelphia, which made 17 3-pointers as Embiid watched from the bench. .

He sprained his right knee in Game 3 of the Philadelphia-Brooklyn Nets first round playoff series. Late in the game, Boston's Jayson Tatum, who finished with 39 points and 11 rebounds, was unable to control the ball after a pass from Marcus Smith, which allowed Paul Reed to score the last basket for the visitors and give them the victory.

Jaylen Brown added 23 points and Malcolm Brogdon finished with 20 for the Celtics. Boston, who were last season's NBA finalists, will have a chance to level the series on Wednesday when the two teams next meet.

Choose your Bookmaker ...