James Harden dropped game-high 45 points as the 76ers defeated the Celtics in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals (119-115) in Boston. Philadelphia was victorious even though it missed Joel Embiid.
“We didn’t come in the game expecting to lose, you know what I mean?” Harden said after the game. “We are here to win and even after this game I told the guys ‘Don’t get too happy We even keel.’ We’re coming here to get Game 2 as well.
“So that’s the mindset that we have as a unit. Whether Joel comes back or not, we’ll be ready to go. Obviously, he’s huge. He’s everything for this team, but we got whoever’s on the floor. Let’s go win the game and that’s what we did tonight.”
