Four takeaways as Celtics beat the Sixers 110-107 on Jayson Tatum’s game-winning 3

PHILADELPHIA — The Celtics walked into a playoff atmosphere Saturday in front of a loud Wells Fargo Center crowd and a Sixers squad looking to make a statement. Then Jayson Tatum stunned the home fans with the game-winning 3-pointer as the Celtics beat the Sixers 110-107 on Saturday at the last second. Joel Embiid’s prayer at the buzzer went through the net from midcourt, but there wasn’t enough time on the clock.

There were struggles at times, but the Celtics didn’t falter in one of their most impressive wins of the season over a division rival. Boston protected its first-place spot atop the East. The Celtics now own the tiebreaker against the Sixers with the 3-0 advantage.

It was clear the Sixers came out juiced Saturday in front of a raucous crowd ready to make life difficult for the visitors. That was the case early as the Sixers looked comfortable and the Celtics’ offense put up missed shots.

But the game flipped when the Sixers came out hot to open the second half. They built up a 15-point lead and threatened to blow the game open. That’s when the Celtics had a huge response, building up their own double-digit lead in the fourth quarter. But the Sixers quickly cut the game down to one possession, where the teams dueled from there. And it was the Celtics who prevailed as part of Tatum’s heroics.

Jaylen Brown had 26 points for the Celtics, while Jayson Tatum made up for his struggles with the game-winning shot, finishing with 18 points and 13 rebounds. Derrick White was crucial off the bench with 18 points as Robert Williams III added 14 points and eight rebounds. Joel Embiid had 41 points and 12 rebounds for the Sixers, and James Harden had 21 points and eight assists.

The Celtics face the Knicks at 7:30 p.m. Monday at Madison Square Garden for their next game. Here are four takeaways from Boston’s win over Philadelphia:

Making up for his struggles

It was a forgettable game for Tatum as his shots didn’t go down when the Celtics needed him. That was, until the end as Tatum hit the tough 3-pointer for the victory. The numbers weren’t great Saturday, but Tatum did affect the game in moments. And he came up huge at the end of the game. Tatum finished with 18 points, 31 rebounds and six assists. But it was the big-time 3-pointer that’ll make his highlight reel.

Back-and-forth

When the Celtics fell behind the Sixers by 15 points early in the third quarter, their offense didn’t look like they were going to be able to climb out of the hole. But Horford quickly changed that with four 3-pointers in a run that put the Celtics up. By the end of the third, the C’s actually led the Sixers as part of an 18-3 run. There were contributions from elsewhere on the roster, but Horford’s 3-pointers were a huge part of Boston’s run.

Both the Sixers and Celtics held double-digit leads in the second half, but it still came down to a few possessions late. They traded runs but the Celtics had just a few more points by the end of the game.

Providing a spark

With the Celtics struggling to start the third quarter, they needed a jolt. That came in the form of White, who was huge for the C’s all night. White’s 18 points on 7-for-9 shooting was huge, but so was his defense going up against a guy like Harden. White has retreated back to the C’s bench now that they’re fully healthy, but the veteran guard showed off Saturday why he’s such a crucial piece of their roster. White has now scored in double-figures in 14 straight games as he’s kept up the production. White was also a team-high plus-22 in his 25 minutes as he was a positive force all game.

Finishing the trip

The Celtics opened their post-break life with three straight road games, all against teams at least part of the East playoff picture. They’ll take on a red-hot Knicks team which has won five straight games. New York beat Boston in overtime at TD Garden the last time the teams met. So it’ll be a chance for the Celtics to answer back to finish off the road trip.

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