Jaylen Brown makes pointed assessment of Game 2 loss to 76ers

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Jaylen Brown makes pointed assessment of Game 2 loss to 76ers

Souichi Terada · MassLive

Wed, Apr 22, 2026 ·

3 min read

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BOSTON — The Celtics cruised early, building a 13-point lead and looking like they were going to blow out the 76ers (again) in Game 2. But the Sixers instead not only punched back, but kept landing haymakers as they caught fire from 3-point land Tuesday.

The end result was a stunning 111-97 C’s loss to the Sixers in Game 2 at TD Garden, tying the series 1-1. Jaylen Brown gave a pointed assessment following the home loss. The 76ers snatched home-court advantage from the Celtics as the series shifts to Philadelphia for the next two games.

“They outcompeted us tonight,” Brown said. “I think our intensity level could have been better. Defensively, we could have been better. We’ve just got to be better. It’s the playoffs. They got ball players over there and they came to play. Any given night, you could lose a game if you don’t come out with the right mindset.”

While the C’s knocked down shots early, that efficiency betrayed them after the hot start. They beat up the Sixers in Game 1 behind their offense, but the Celtics just couldn’t get enough buckets Tuesday. The shooting variance especially swung the other way after Philadelphia couldn’t knock down 3-pointers in Game 1.

The Celtics shot just 13-for-50 (26%) on 3-pointers in Game 2 compared to 19-for-39 (48.7%) for the Sixers. Considering Philadelphia went just 4-for-23 (17.4%) from 3 in Game 1, it was bound to swing the other way. That was a huge storyline for the game as V.J. Edgecombe and Tyrese Maxey combined for 59 points in the Philadelphia victory.

“I thought we had a lot of great shots,” Brown said. “I thought we did some really good things, some things we definitely got to improve on. But defensively, I think that is an emphasis. But also, if we made some shots tonight, I think that takes a little pressure off our defense as well. But overall, I think we got to be better in certain areas.”

The process was strong for the Celtics, who were generating open looks. The shots just weren’t going down — a similar story to the Sixers’ shooting woes in Game 1. There were multiple moments where the Celtics mounted a comeback attempt, cutting it to a single possession in the fourth quarter. But the Sixers always had a response, never letting the C’s take the lead in the second half.

As Jayson Tatum pointed out, it’s still just one single loss. The Celtics’ blowout victory in Game 1 counts the same as their double-digit loss in Game 2. This C’s core has also experienced losing a home game early only to storm back to win the series anyway. So there’s no reason to panic over the course of a seven-game series.

But as the Sixers showed Tuesday, the margins are always slim in the playoffs. While a seven-game series can be plenty long, it’s also a small sample size compared to the regular season. Now, the Celtics will look to bounce back as they face the Sixers for Game 3 at 7 p.m. Friday in Philadelphia.

“It’s something that we stress and we talk about, especially for some of the guys that haven’t been through this as much,” Tatum said. “There’s a new experience, and that’s why you kind of lean on the guys that have been through this over and over again.”

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