Hook, line, sinker: Bass reels in Sixers

Brandon Bass scored 18 of his 27 points in the third quarter and outscored Philadelphia all by himself as the Celtics came from behind to beat the Sixers, 101-85, Monday night at TD Garden. The Celtics lead the best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinal series, 3-2, and can advance to the conference finals with a win on Wednesday night in Game 6 at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. 

Kevin Garnett added 20 points while Rajon Rondo had 13 points and 14 assists for the Celtics, who are now 8-0 in pivotal Game 5 situations where the series is tied. 

In a stark contrast to Game 4 in Philadelphia, the Sixers came out on fire in the first half, making 23 of their first 36 shots from the floor and shooting 60 percent from the field. 

Just as troubling for the Celtics was the trend that continued from Friday, when Philadelphia won most of the battles for loose balls to maintain their lead for most of the first half. At one point, the Sixers had eight offensive rebounds, matching Boston's eight defensive rebounds, leading to Philadelphia's 10-4 advantage in second-chance points. 

Also hurting the Celtics in the first half was Elton Brand. He was hitting nearly every mid-range jumper he attempted and was 6-of-8 from the field and led Philadelphia in the first half with 12 points. Garnett single-handedly kept the Celtics in the game in the first half, with 14 points in 19 minutes. After a scoreless first quarter, Pierce had nine points in the second quarter as the Celtics cut Philadelphia's lead to three, 50-47, at the half. 

After Spencer Hawes hit a runner to put the Sixers up, 57-53, with just under nine minutes left in the third, Bass led the Celtics on a 10-0 run that included a pair of dunks as Bass got loose under the basket and received feeds from Rondo. Bass was monstrous in the third quarter, scoring 18 points and hauling down two rebounds. The Celtics outscored the Sixers, 28-16, in the third, with Pierce hitting a jumper with 2.6 seconds left in the period to help the Celtics take a 75-66 lead into the fourth. 

The Celtics stifling defense continued into the fourth quarter. Boston scored the first five points of the quarter while holding the Sixers scoreless in the first four minutes, building an 81-66 lead. Boston outscored Philadelphia, 16-6, to build their lead to 91-72 and salt away the game. The Sixers made just 13 of their 35 shots in the second half. 

For complete coverage from the team of Paul Flannery, Mike Petraglia, Ben Rohrbach and Ryan Hadfield, visit the Celtics team page at weei.com/celtics and the Green Street blog.