76ers Fight Hard but Fall Short to Celtics in Game 3

The Philadelphia 76ers deserve credit for fighting until the end, but once again they didn't have enough power to come out of Game 3 with a win. Now, the Celtics are one game away from sweeping the Sixers as they picked up a 102-94 victory over Philly on Friday night. 

After losing a close fight in Game 1, and a taking mentally draining defeat in Game 2, the Sixers knew that had to come in physical and show some fight in their third go-round with Boston. In the first quarter on Friday night, the 76ers showed tons of hope. While they struggled to really get it going offensively, their physicality and energy showed a team that knew they were desperate and wanted to close in on the series.

As expected, Sixers center Joel Embiid shined offensively as he collected over 20 points in the first half. But Embiid's game was the last thing the Sixers needed to worry about. Throughout the first two matchups in the series, Embiid's supporting cast let him down. So somebody had to step up and help out the big guy.

Defensively, the Sixers were phenomenal for all four quarters. Their urgency was apparent, and they managed to avoid another big game from Celtics star, Jayson Tatum. Unfortunately, on the other end, the Sixers struggled to drain shots throughout the entire matchup. Heading into the final quarter, the Sixers were shooting just 28 percent from the field. They finished the game shooting under 30 percent, while Boston knocked down a little over 40 percent of their shots from the field.

Heading into the game, the Sixers knew it was pretty much do-or-die. A loss wouldn't send them back home to Philly just yet, but falling into an 0-3 hole pretty much delays the inevitable. Sixers big man Al Horford didn't sugarcoat the situation. "Our backs are against the wall," said the veteran on Thursday before practice. 

The 76ers now enter a true do-or-die situation on Sunday afternoon for Game 4.