Boston Celtics roll over Philadelphia 76ers

PHILADELPHIA -- A snowstorm wiped out Saturday's game between the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers.

The Celtics then wiped out the 76ers in the rescheduled game Sunday night.

Guard Isaiah Thomas scored 13 of his 20 points in the decisive third quarter as the Celtics rolled to a 112-92 victory over the NBA's worst team.

Forward Jae Crowder also finished with 20 points for Boston, which won its second straight and extended its winning streak over Philadelphia to seven games. Guard Avery Bradley had 19, and guard Marcus Smart contributed 16 off the bench for the Celtics (24-21).

When Saturday's game was postponed by the snowstorm that rocked the Northeast, the Celtics practiced in Boston, then flew to Philadelphia on Sunday morning.

"Obviously, that wasn't ideal," Celtics coach Brad Stevens said, "but I thought our guys were businesslike in our approach. I thought our guys were pretty locked in today."

Smart, in fact, said the schedule was "very unorthodox" and added that it "felt like we were back in AAU, arriving the day of the game and then playing."

Yet Boston trailed only early in the game, and led by as many as 29 points in the second half.

"We didn't want to make the mistake a lot of teams make by looking at their record," Smart said. "We wanted to come out and make sure we punch them in the mouth first."

Forward Robert Covington notched 25 points to pace Philadelphia (6-39). The 76ers were seeking to win consecutive games for the first time since March, but they turned the ball over 24 times, seven more than their league-worst average and the most they have had in their last 18 games.

The giveaways resulted in 25 points by the Celtics, who began the night forcing 17.9 turnovers a game, the league's second-highest total.

Nine of those 76ers turnovers came in the third quarter, when Boston outscored Philadelphia 36-26.

Boston shot 11-for-25 from 3-point range in the game. Crowder was 4-for-6, while Bradley went 3-for-4 and Smart 3-for-6. Philadelphia made only eight of 26 long-range attempts.

The Celtics built a 58-43 halftime cushion after outscoring the 76ers 31-18 over the last 13 minutes of the first half. Thomas and Bradley combined for 12 points as Boston opened the third quarter with a 22-8 flurry. Crowder capped it with a three-point play with 6:07 remaining in the period, making it 80-51.

The 76ers were never closer than 16 the rest of the game.

"That was a bad NBA game tonight, from our standpoint," Philadelphia coach Brett Brown said, "and we're going to push it aside and move on."

Brown said that only backup guard T.J. McConnell, who had eight points, five rebounds and two assists while playing a little over 16 minutes, showed much.

"I don't even know what team I coached tonight," Brown said. "That's not who we are. ... We were poor. I don't know why. Maybe it had something to do with the snowstorm. I doubt it. We just didn't come with the energy, for whatever reason."

Boston, up 27-25 late in the first quarter, went on a 24-8 run to take a 51-33 lead with 6:33 left in the half. Crowder and Smart combined for the last 17 points in that rush, including three 3-pointers in a 1:28 span by Smart.

By halftime, the Celtics were ahead by 15 points, and Crowder and Smart had 14 points apiece. Covington led Philadelphia with 17, shooting 5-for-6 from 3-point range.

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, he was the first 76ers player to make five 3-pointers in a half since March 25, 2015, when he made five in the second half at Denver.

NOTES: F Amir Johnson had 12 rebounds and five assists for Boston, while C Jared Sullinger contributed 11 boards and seven assists. ... Philadelphia G Ish Smith, who has keyed something of a revival for the team since he was acquired in a trade with New Orleans on Dec. 24, had just seven points on 3-for-12 shooting, and offset four assists with three turnovers. His plus/minus was minus-35, worst on the team. ... 76ers G Nik Stauskas returned after missing three games with a shoulder injury. He scored two points in 15 minutes. ... Philadelphia F Nerlens Noel started after sitting out the second half of last Wednesday's victory in Orlando with blurred vision. He ended with 12 points and nine rebounds. ... G JaKarr Sampson started for the 76ers after seeing limited action against the Magic because of a hip pointer. He scored two points in nine minutes Sunday.