Three notes after Embiid, Maxey lead Sixers over Celtics for sixth consecutive win first aired on NBC Sports Philadelphia
The Sixers are leading the Eastern Conference rankings early in the season and have won six straight games.
The Sixers increased their record to 6-1 on the season on Wednesday night at Wells Fargo Center with a 106-103 win against the Celtics. Since Nick Nurse took over as head coach, they have never lost at home. Boston lost 5 to 1.
On their last play, Kristaps Porzingis attempted a game-tying three-point shot, capping the Celtics’ dramatic last-minute comeback. He failed to deliver.
With 10 rebounds, 4 blocks, 4 assists, and 27 points, Joel Embiid had a great game.
Tyrese Maxey finished with five assists, nine rebounds, and 25 points.
With 29 points, Kristaps Porzingis scored. With 16 points, 15 rebounds, and 6 assists, Jayson Tatum led the way.
The Sixers will take on the Pistons on the road for their first in-season tournament game on Friday night after a 5-0 homestand. Next Wednesday, they’ll play the Celtics once again in Philadelphia.
Observations about the Sixers’ first triumph against Boston after their seven-game playoff series loss the previous season are as follows:
Quite different first impression in contrast to Embiid
The Sixers led 6-0 before the dust had settled thanks to two Tobias Harris free throws, a Kelly Oubre Jr. slam, and a Maxey run.
The choice made by Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla to start 6-foot-5 Jrue Holiday on Embiid and employ 7-foot-3 Porzingis largely as an off-ball roamer was a fascinating schematic tale after the game settled into a regular tempo.
At times, like as when Embiid received a post-up early in the shot clock, Holiday whirled the court and heaved a huge dunk to give the Sixers a 10–4 lead, the club seemed certain in their ability to counter that strategy. But against the Celtics’ double teams, the Sixers’ space and Embiid’s decision-making were often far from ideal. Embiid mistakes led to four fast-break baskets as Boston rolled to an 11-0 lead.
The Celtics faced Embiid in a traditional matchup when they went to their bench, starting with Al Horford. The current MVP became more patient as he realized he could sometimes outmaneuver Boston’s help defenders and bide his time until isolation opportunities presented themselves. For Embiid, just shooting over smaller opponents is often a respectable choice as well.
Even though he was never going to top his 48-point effort against the Wizards on Monday night, Embiid was once again excellent all around and did a fantastic job guarding the rim on a frequent basis. It will be intriguing for the Sixers to see the defensive taped by the Celtics on him.
Big off the bench for Batum
Nearly every person on the floor wasted early opportunities to leap.
Boston started the game 1 for 8 from the field and 3 points away. The Sixers, on the other hand, failed on their first nine long-distance attempts, including five attempts by Maxey and De’Anthony Melton, their starting backcourt.
The Sixers’ offense was often a chore in the opening quarter. They produced little open-floor, defense-to-offense possibilities as they only forced two turnovers.
The four-time All-Star found Sam Hauser for an open three after Paul Reed blitzed Tatum early in the second quarter and just missed a steal. The Celtics’ advantage was shortly increased to 11 points by a Horford jumper.
Then came some much-needed good energy from the Sixers bench.
While Furkan Korkmaz had a poor performance, second-unit standouts in the second quarter were Nicolas Batum and Reed. On Holiday, Reed scored a spinning, hard-driving layup while dominating the offensive boards. Continuing his impressive shooting from his Sixers debut, Batum made the opening three-pointer of the game for the club. In addition, he played good defense, stopping a Porzingis layup and exercising prudent ball-guarding against Jaylen Brown and Tatum. Against Boston’s top players, his wingspan of well over seven feet is undoubtedly advantageous.
In this matchup, Robert Covington’s length is also advantageous. Late in the second quarter, he blocked Derrick White’s ball, Melton recovered, and Maxey scored first a few seconds later with a layup in front of the crowd.
When there was only 1:07 remaining in the second quarter, Batum had already tried to take the ball away from Porzingis during a dunk by the Boston big man and had cut his right index finger very badly. He sprinted directly to the locker room. A team official indicated that when he was assessed at halftime, he was cleared to play again.
In the end, Batum contributed 26 minutes off the bench while grabbing four rebounds, a steal, a block, and five points on 2-for-3 shooting. He was plus-seven, best on the squad.
Oubre finished with 14 points and 8 rebounds while maintaining his starting position.
Maxey perseveres and finishes in fourth place.
Maxey’s tenacity was inspiring.
He embraced the opportunities Boston gave his left hand, played through odd calls and bad jumpers, and pushed the tempo. The 23-year-old also showed outstanding defensive commitment. While Maxey didn’t always make the right defensive play, he was always hustling and battling bigger guys.
For the Sixers, another subpar shooting performance from Melton posed a serious challenge. Melton struggled again on Wednesday, despite the fact that he had recovered against Washington. Melton botched a layup in the third quarter, falling to 1 for 8 from the field. In the third, Maxey’s shooting performance was as dismal as he went 0 for 5 from the field.
Even still, the Sixers outperformed Boston during a wild part of the game despite the absence of both of those guys. Covington made a second-chance three-point shot after Porzingis missed an open dunk. A Patrick Beverley floater and Embiid’s denial of a pointless Payton Pritchard layup try capped the period.
On the Sixers’ opening possession of the fourth quarter, Maxey made it 83-71 for the team. When Embiid was on the bench, he was fantastic; he often answered buckets from the Celtics and prevented Boston from going on a significant run. A gorgeous lofted-in runner, a downhill explosion with his right hand, and a silky snake of a pick-and-roll were some of his best plays.
Embiid immediately checked back in, and Maxey used up a vital after-timeout three. With two more jump shots from Harris (17 points, nine rebounds), the Sixers increased their lead to 102-87.
That did not bode well for a steady, even end. Boston took advantage of the Sixers’ many errors, which included fouls that awarded the Celtics free throws and halted the clock as well as wobbly plays that resulted in turnovers. With 61 seconds remaining, Tatum’s layup after a Melton turnover cut the Sixers’ advantage to just 104-100.
Embiid finally made a fadeaway jumper. However, Brown responded with a hotly fought three-pointer on Maxey. On the subsequent possession, he stopped Maxey’s attempt as well, giving Boston an unlikely opportunity to force OT. The Sixers were happy that they didn’t need a second session.
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