NBA playoffs: Celtics have young stars too

By Associated Press

April 30, 2018 7:40 PM PT

Reporting from BOSTON — The Boston Celtics’ rising stars stalled “The Process” and led their team to victory in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Substitute point guard Terry Rozier scored 29 points Monday night, first-year forward Jayson Tatum scored a career-high 28 while outplaying rookie Ben Simmons and the Celtics rolled to a 117-101 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers.

With much of the attention focused on 76ers youngsters Simmons and Joel Embiid, Boston’s youth movement of Tatum and Rozier stole the show. Two days after scoring a career playoff-high 26 points in Game 7 against the Milwaukee Bucks, Rozier topped it while also contributing eight rebounds and six assists.

“It’s been a dream come true,” Rozier said. “I want to keep going. I’m just a guy just living in the moment.”

Embiid had 31 points with 13 rebounds for the 76ers, who lost for only the second time in 22 games. Simmons, the probable rookie of the year, had 18 points, seven rebounds and six assists. But with six days of rest after eliminating the Miami Heat, the 76ers missed 15 of their first 20 shots and made only five of 24 from three-point range.

“We’re NBA players and we have to be ready,” noted Embiid after the 76ers lost for only the second time since March 13. “We weren’t ready tonight.”

Al Horford had 26 points and seven rebounds for the Celtics, who will again be home for Game 2 on Thursday night. The Celtics hope to have guard Jaylen Brown back in the lineup after he sat out because of a hamstring injury suffered in the clincher against the Bucks, joining injured stars Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward on the bench.

Playing in place of Irving, Rozier picked up where he left off in the first round by contributing 10 points and six assists in the first quarter. He made seven of nine three-point shots, combining with Tatum to overshadow the lottery picks accumulated by the 76ers during “The Process.”

Simmons, who was the top pick in the 2016 draft but sat out last season because of an injury, was heckled by the Boston crowd with chants of “Not a Rookie!”

In the fourth quarter, as Tatum stepped to the free throw line to protect a double-digit lead, the chant turned to “He’s a Rookie!”

“I love when people talk trash,” Embiid said. “Keep bringing it, and we’ll see how it goes.”