Celtics down 76ers in Philly, Embiid winless since being named MVP

PHILADELPHIA — Jayson Tatum scored 27 points, Jaylen Brown had 23 and the Boston Celtics spoiled Joel Embiid’s MVP coronation, beating the Philadelphia 76ers, 114-102, Friday night to take a 2-1 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinal series.

Game Four is on Sunday in Philadelphia.

Embiid had 30 points and 13 rebounds in his second game back from a sprained right knee after receiving his MVP trophy in a pregame ceremony.

Boston gave 76ers fans little reason to cheer again.

The Sixers pulled within five on De’Anthony Melton’s 3-pointer to get the crowd back into the game for all of 20 seconds before Malcolm Brogdon countered with a 3 to give Boston a 100-92 lead. Al Horford crushed the Sixers again — as he has most of his career — when he buried a 3 for a seven-point lead.

Embiid, forced to try and win it alone without any serious offensive help, missed a pull-up 18-footer and Tatum drained a jumper that all but put the game away. Tatum hit one more 3 for good measure and the Celtics seized control of the series.

Embiid was flanked by his parents and teammates as he received the MVP trophy from NBA Commissioner Adam Silver before Game 3. Sixers fans roared as Embiid hoisted the trophy high over his head. Then the moment turned touching. Embiid’s young son, Arthur, ran onto the court and into the arms of his father.

Embiid held his son, who wore a “My dad is the MVP” T-shirt, and wiped tears from his eyes as fans chanted “MVP! MVP!”

“Honestly, he’s the main reason why I’m really here,” Embiid said. “Becoming a father really changed my whole life. I just wanted to show him a good example.”

The good times didn’t last long.

Boston spiked any emotional carryover from the ceremony and raced to a quick 10-point lead.

The Sixers spent the rest of the game playing catch-up. All the energy spent to come back and take brief leads quickly evaporat- ed and the Celtics snagged them right back.

Embiid gamely tried to carry the Sixers on one good knee, but got almost no help from James

Harden and Tyrese Maxey. Harden’s 45-point effort in a Game 1 upset in Boston seemed more an aberration than a sign of things to come. Harden followed his 2 of

14 in a Game 2 loss with 3-for-13 shooting for 16 points. Harden failed to pick up the Sixers in the third, when he could have changed the game.