The Boston Celtics defeated the Philadelphia 76ers 128-96 to spoil Joel Embiid’s return from an appendectomy for a 3-1 lead in the first-round playoff series on Sunday night.
Payton Priitchard led the Celtics with 32 points, while Jayson Tatum had 30 points and 11 assists, and Jaylen Brown added 20 points.
Boston led by 32 points for the second time in the series and outrebounded the Sixers 51-30.
On the other hand, Embiid led the 76ers with 26 points in 34 minutes, just 17 days after having an appendectomy.
The two-time scoring champion missed seven straight shots before converting a three-point play in the third quarter to cut their deficit to 23.
Embiid had an appendectomy in Houston on April 9 after being stricken with appendicitis overnight. He returned to the court Sunday wearing a protective brace around his midsection and was cleared to play about 40 minutes before the scheduled tipoff.
Tyrese Maxey dropped 22 points as he took a backseat to Embiid and took only three shots in the first half.
For the Celtics, Brown and Tatum combined for 50 points in a Game 3 win and only 13 in the first half of Game 4, and used a whopping 14-rebound edge in the first half that sparked a 13-0 run in second-chance points to build a 21-point lead.
Pritchard buried a long 3 on one leg to end the first quarter and give Boston a 34-18 lead.
The Celtics look forward to ending the series at home on Tuesday night.
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