They responded with pivotal plays, such as a Tatum rebound or an Al Horford 3-pointer or Grant Williams returning to the game after Embiid literally smashed his head with his size-17 foot during a scramble with a little more than five minutes left in the fourth quarter.Ī bloodied Williams returned shortly thereafter. They knew their pattern would be to struggle with prosperity after the Game 2 win. The Celtics realized how pivotal Game 3 was. They were coming out to celebrate the MVP, and rightfully so, and it was our job to come in and spoil that night for them.” We had to get our lick back in a sense and tonight was no different. “We wanted to come back and give them one that they deserved. “They did their job and won on our home court,” guard Marcus Smart told the Globe. More than half their second-half field goals were threes.īut Embiid’s impact, on his big night, was reduced to the emotion and gratitude he displayed pregame. They carried over their defensive principles from Game 3, shutting down the paint and forcing the 76ers to rely on 3-point shooting to stay close. Related : Joe Mazzulla aggravated with himself for failing to recognize Marcus Smart’s NBA Hustle Award Harden’s performance was bizarre, as he passed up open shots, reluctantly attempted others and looked frazzled, despite playing in his 156th postseason game. They responded to every run, took the lead at the 8 minute, 34 mark of the second period and never gave it up.Įmbiid had 30 points but never looked completely comfortable. Instead, the players, with key adjustments from Joe Mazzulla, have retaken the momentum in this series with their relentlessness. There was concern that Embiid’s presence along with a vintage James Harden would be too much for the Celtics to handle. There was anxiety in Boston when Embiid announced he was coming back from a knee injury after Philadelphia’s stunning Game 1 win at TD Garden. But I was just focused on trying to win tonight.” “The energy from the crowd in the building. “It got me really ready to play,” said Tatum, who led the Celtics with 27 points. That unquestionably served as motivation. ![]() But that individual award is a definite goal for Tatum, and he watched Embiid raise the trophy from the Celtics locker room. He said Friday morning he’d like to win an MVP eventually, saying he’s got at least a decade left in his career. I was pretty consistent with my tactics and I think it paid off.Tatum may have been personally motivated by Embiid’s ceremony. ![]() "I'm pretty happy with the way I focused. "I think it was a pretty solid and clean performance," Swiatek told a news conference. Swiatek will face Veronika Kudermetova for a place in the final after the Russian beat American Jessica Pegula 6-4 0-6 6-4 and reach the Madrid Open semis earlier. In the women's singles, world number one Iga Swiatek showed her clay-court dominance after she beat Petra Martic 6-0 6-3 later on Wednesday. His winning percentage overall on clay is already the third best since 2010 (82.3%), behind only Nadal and Novak Djokovic. "I will train for Friday, but with a lot of tranquillity and calm, I will not be overwhelmed and I have to be fresh."Īlcaraz has reached 18 consecutive wins in Spanish clay-court tournaments since losing to Rafael Nadal in Madrid two years ago. "Karen had been playing at a high level and took me to the limit, it was decided by small details. ![]() "Winning this match gives me a lot of confidence," Alcaraz said. However, the Spaniard began the second set a little distracted and allowed Khachanov to open up a 4-1 lead before he woke up to fight back and win the match in under two hours. MADRID, May 3 (Reuters) - World number two Carlos Alcaraz stayed on course for his fourth title of 2023 by powering into the semi-finals of the Madrid Open with a 6-4 7-5 win over Russian Karen Khachanov on Wednesday.ĭefending his title from last year, Alcaraz will be looking to celebrate his 20th birthday on Friday with a win against either Croatian Borna Coric or surprise German qualifier Daniel Altmaier in his sixth Masters 1000 event semi-final.Īlcaraz managed to break the Russian's serve in the seventh game, closing the first set 6-4.
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