May 4 (UPI) -- Jaylen Brown scored 25 points and the Boston Celtics bench supplied another 54 in a dominant Game 2 win over the Philadelphia 76ers, tying the Eastern Conference semifinals series 1-1.
The No. 2 Celtics led by as many as 36 points in the 121-87 victory Wednesday at TD Garden in Boston. Veteran guard Malcolm Brogdon scored 23 points, fueled by six 3-pointers, off the Celtics bench.
"We feel like we underperformed in our last game," Brown told reporters. "We wanted to come out and play to the best of our ability. That's what we did."
Celtics star forward Jayson Tatum scored just seven points, while limited by foul trouble. NBA MVP Joel Embiid, who returned from an injury absence, scored 15 points in 26:37 for the No. 3 76ers.
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"I just thought they made a lot of shots, 14 more 3s than us, and they beat us to every loose ball," said Embiid, who is recovering from a right knee injury. "They played with more desperation than us. We didn't execute what we wanted to. We gotta be better."
Game 3 of the best-of-seven game series will be Friday in Philadelphia.
The Celtics totaled 26 assists and just six turnovers. The 76ers held the lead for just 1:24 in the first quarter.
Veteran forward Tobias Harris gave the 76ers their first lead with a jump shot 23 seconds into the game. The Celtics and 76ers exchanged the lead three more times over the opening seven minutes until the Celtics broke away and never looked back.
The Celtics used a 7-1 run to earn a 12-8 lead midway through the quarter. They carried a 28-22 edge into the second. Brown scored 13 over the first 12 minutes. The Celtics outscored the 76ers 29-27 in the second quarter and led 57-49 at halftime.
The Celtics exploded for a 35-point third quarter. They used a 25-6 run in that quarter to build an 86-60 advantage and led 92-65 to start the fourth. The Celtics outscored the 76ers 29-22 over the final 12 minutes.
Game 3 will tip off at 7:30 p.m. EDT Friday in Philadelphia. Game 4 will be Sunday in Philadelphia. The winner of the series will meet the No. 8 Miami Heat or No. 5 New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference finals.
The Heat-Knicks series is tied 1-1.
