Jayson Tatum had to be restrained. Even well after he said the magic word that got him ejected for just the second time in his career, Tatum continued barking at referee Bill Kennedy – a rare display of emotion from the Celtics superstar – so much so that he had to be held back by coaches Joe Mazzulla and Charles Lee before he headed down to the tunnel.

Tatum’s frustrating night – which ended with seven turnovers – had boiled over, and the Celtics were teetering against a 76ers squad without stars Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. The sequence that Tatum was ejected – with one second remaining – led to a lead for Philadelphia. The Celtics’ defense had been absent all night, and as boos rained down at TD Garden following the ejection, it looked grim.

But Mazzulla challenged the Celtics to get it together defensively, and they responded. They created havoc on that end of the floor. Without Tatum, everybody stepped up down the stretch. Patrick Beverley and the 76ers gave the Celtics all they could handle, but the C’s emerged with a resilient effort, and they held on for a 125-119 victory on a wild night at the Garden.

Derrick White had 21 points, Al Horford delivered 20 points and a big-time defensive effort, Jrue Holiday added 13 points and Payton Pritchard, with 10 points, helped bring the Celtics home after things looked bleak entering the fourth quarter.