Despite a Game 3 loss, a dynamic connection between Paul George and Andre Drummond emerged, offering the Philadelphia 76ers a crucial offensive blueprint
Even in a 108-100 Game 3 loss to Boston, the Philadelphia 76ers found a few things they can build on.
Tyrese Maxey was again the engine with 31 points on 12-31 shooting, but the encouraging part for Philly was that the offense did not rely on him alone. Paul George added 18 points, Kelly Oubre Jr. chipped in 17, and Andre Drummond had 12 points in just 26 minutes.
The best non-Maxey actions of the night came from Paul George and Andre Drummond. In the closing minutes, George found Drummond for a dunk that cut the Celtics' lead to 96-94, then fed him again for another dunk that made it 97-96 with less than two minutes remaining. George was also able to come off multiple screens and rise for pull-up 3s to keep the Celtics' defense honest and keyed in on what he did after coming off a screen.
That George-Drummond connection is worth remembering because it gives the Sixers a more stable half-court option. Boston is trying to make Maxey work for every shot that he puts up, but the Sixers were able to get production from elsewhere instead of continuing with letting Maxey isolate over and over.
George's ability to operate as a secondary creator, paired with Drummond as a roller and play finisher, helped Philadelphia stay within striking distance.
The 76ers also showed fight in the middle of the game. The Sixers ripped off a 12-0 run when they were down 64-55 to take the lead, with Maxey and George spearheading the offense. Boston answered with threes from Payton Pritchard and a big 4th quarter from Jayson Tatum, who scored 11 points to close out the game. However, the Sixers did enough in spurts to show they are not completely outclassed.
If Philadelphia can get more good games out of George, Drummond, Edgecombe, and Oubre, then they will have the chance to make this series competitive and not just give Boston a free trip into the next round.
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Wes Dixon is a contributing writer to 76ersRoundtable. He can be reached at dixonwesley286@gmail.com.