4 takeaways as Celtics blow out Sixers in Game 4, Payton Pritchard goes off

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4 takeaways as Celtics blow out Sixers in Game 4, Payton Pritchard goes off

Souichi Terada · MassLive

Mon, Apr 27, 2026 ·

4 min read

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PHILADELPHIA — The Celtics went up big and never let the 76ers back into the game, cruising to the 128-96 Game 4 victory Sunday at Xfinity Mobile Arena. The C’s snatched a commanding 3-1 series lead on the Sixers.

The 76ers featured Joel Embiid plenty in his return to mixed results. But the stalemate was broken once Payton Pritchard checked in. The reserve guard — who can catch fire instantly — filled up the bucket immediately. Pritchard scored 18 points in the first half, helping the Celtics to an 18-point halftime lead.

The Celtics were up big despite quiet first halves from Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown . Tatum was just 1-for-8 early and Brown was 3-for-9, combining for 13 points. But it didn’t matter because the C’s bench (more on them below) came through early to boost Boston . Brown and Tatum also got plenty of production in the second half.

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The Sixers started making shots in the third quarter after a cold first half. But the Celtics countered with 39 points in the quarter — all coming from Tatum, Brown and Pritchard — to make sure Philly didn’t get back into the game. To run salt into the wound, C’s fans chanted “We Want Boston” after all the Sixers fans left early Sunday.

Pritchard finished with a playoffs career-high 32 points on the night. Tatum had 30 points, seven rebounds and 11 assists while Brown added 20 points and seven rebounds. Embiid had 26 points and 10 rebounds. Tyrese Maxey added 22 points and six assists for the Sixers, though his impact felt muted.

Game 5 of Celtics vs. Sixers is set for 7 p.m. Tuesday at TD Garden. Here are four takeaways from Boston’s win over Philadelphia:

Leading the way:Pritchard is plenty fun to watch when he’s on — and Celtics fans got to see a lot of that Sunday. Pritchard scored 13 points in the first quarter, including a buzzer-beating 3-pointer for good measure to end the first quarter. That was Pritchard at his best: confident and aggressive, giving the Celtics an immediate scoring threat off the bench. Pritchard finished 12-for-21 from the field, including 6-for-12 on 3-pointers. His shot-making early boosted the Celtics to a huge lead they never relinquished in the Game 4 victory.

Return watch:Embiid went from doubtful to questionable to available for Game 4, making his return just over two weeks removed from an appendectomy procedure. It was a mixed bag for Embiid, who shot 9-for-21 from the field and 1-for-6 on 3-pointers. Embiid able to play 34 playoff minutes is a plus as he should be expected to be available for the rest of the series. However, the Sixers are much slower when Embiid plays and that was seen Sunday. Maxey couldn’t get into much flow as he only had three field-goal attempts at halftime, finishing with 14 shots.

C’s bench steps up:It wasn’t just the Pritchard show Sunday, though it felt like it early. The Celtics reserves stepped up in a huge way. The bench scored 24 points in the first quarter and was a huge reason why the Celtics built their lead. Nikola Vucevic once again played a heavy allotment of minutes after Neemias Queta got into foul trouble early. Jordan Walsh and Baylor Scheierman also contributed important minutes. Walsh’s defense on Maxey continues to be strong when his number is called.

Commanding lead:The Celtics now hold the 3-1 series lead following Sunday’s victory. They have a chance to end the Sixers’ season Tuesday in Game 5. It looked like Philly had enough to hang with Boston after the Game 2 victory, plus the Sixers played the C’s close in Game 3. But that’s now two blowout C’s victories in this series alone after Game 4. Had Philadelphia pulled out the clutch win in Game 3, it would’ve had a chance. But now, the Celtics are one win away from making the East semifinals for the fifth straight season.

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