The Boston Celtics outscored the Philadelphia 76ers, 54-5, in the second half on their way to a 101-85 win in Game 5 of their Eastern Conference semifinal Monday night. The Sixers held a three-point lead at halftime, but collapsed out of the locker room to give the Celtics a 3-2 series lead.
Brandon Bass went off in the third quarter. Alone, he outscored the Sixers 18 to 16 during the period on 6-for-7 shooting. He also shot 9-for-10 from the free throw line on his way to game-high 27 points. The 76ers finally adjusted in the fourth quarter, allowing the forward just four more points, but by then the damage had been done.
On the other end of the court, and Sixers' offense that clicked so well in the first half lost all sense of rhythm in the second. As Philadelphia's deficit expanded, a young backcourt lost track of the sets it was supposed to be running. The Sixers' shooting percentage fell from 54.8 percent in the first half to 46.8 percent for the game after the second half. They went 0-for-4 from beyond the arc, and committed 10 turnovers after intermission.
Elton Brand finished with a game-high 19 points. Lavoy Allen pitched in 12 points in 18 minutes on 6-for-6 shooting. Unfortunately, that's about where the positives end. Evan Turner went 1-for-5 in the second half to finish with 11 points to go with 10 rebounds. Iguodala had nine points on 3-for-10 from the field. Jrue Holiday had only two more assists to three turnovers in the second half, and failed to score another points after putting up 10 in the first half.
Kevin Garnett had 20 points and six rebounds for the Celtics, while Rajon Rondo had a field day racking up 14 assists with the help of Bass' breakout third quarter. With the win, Boston takes the upperhand in the series for now. Anything can happen at the Wells Fargo Center, however. Game 6 will tip off at 8:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday night on ESPN.
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