Boston Celtics

Celtics fall to 76ers 117 – 109, dropping second game in a row

The Celtics faced an Eastern Conference rival without Jayson Tatum.

Joel Embiid and the Sixers take on the Boston Celtics. Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images

By Tom Westerholm

5 minutes to read

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The Boston Celtics nearly overcame the absence of Jayson Tatum against the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday.

They could not, however, overcome a massive free-throw disparity, driven by Sixers star Joel Embiid who dominated the paint and lifted Philly to a 117-109 victory with an enormous fourth quarter.

Here’s how the game unfolded:

FOURTH QUARTER

0:00 – And that will do it. Final score: Sixers 117, Celtics 109. Joel Embiid finished with 42 points, while the Celtics were led by Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart with 26 and 25 points respectively.

0:49.3 – Tough to overcome a 43-20 free-throw attempt disparity (34-13 in makes).

1:07 – Ben Simmons’ quick hands have been a problem for the Celtics. He just stripped Daniel Theis with Boston down four — his second steal, and one of several nice defensive plays.

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2:32 – Kind of a funny moment: Ben Simmons saved a ball, which was ruled out of bounds. On the sideline, Celtics assistant GM Mike Zarren could be seen leaping out of his seat and pointing at the baseline saying Simmons was out of bounds (he wasn’t).

3:37 – The Celtics just absolutely cannot keep Embiid off the free-throw line. They will be much better off with Tatum in the game when he returns, of course, but they need to figure out a way to defend Embiid without fouling going forward. His points are just too efficient.

6:50 – Jaylen Brown loves running from the corner off a dribble hand-off screen and getting to his spot in the paint. He just made a floater, which would be a huge addition to his bag.

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8:58 – Tough start to the fourth for the Celtics: In four minutes with Embiid off the floor, the Sixers rallied and closed a six-point gap to tie the game. Walker just left the game as well with Brown still on the bench.

THIRD QUARTER

0:00 – Interesting decision by Brad Stevens to send Walker back in to finish the quarter. He should have about six minutes in the fourth quarter, unless Stevens pushes things a bit. In any case, the Celtics have the best of both worlds entering the fourth: They’ve played well without Walker, and he has added a very real dimension when he’s in.

2:53 – While we are still in the timeout, we should probably note that Daniel Theis has been really excellent — 15 points on 6-for-7 shooting so far.

2:53 – Kemba Walker is yet to play in the second half. Two things to keep an eye on: First, if the Celtics can finish off the third quarter without any Walker minutes, he will have eight in the fourth quarter, which is great for Boston. Second: If he does sit the third quarter, how will he play after 12 minutes of game time on the bench?

5:30 – That said, Joel Embiid is absolutely dominating – 31 points on 9-for-11 shooting.

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7:58 – There’s a lot to like from Tristan Thompson’s performance, even though he’s 0-for-1 with zero points. He has aggressively attacked the glass, and he allows the Celtics to defend Embiid without doubling. Embiid has been dominant, but Thompson is just respectable enough to keep Boston’s defenders at home. A big Embiid night doesn’t doom your team as long as nobody else is going off.

Post-game edit: Well … maybe you can’t!

9:00 – The Celtics are mostly staying alive in non-Kemba minutes. Brad Stevens started the second half with Jeff Teague, presumably to buy Walker more minutes late in the game. Walker has played 12 of his reported 20 allotted.

HALFTIME

– In other news, the full-strength Brooklyn Nets trail the Cleveland Cavaliers by eight in the third quarter.

SECOND QUARTER

0:00 – Some first-half notes:

  • Weird, streaky game so far. The Celtics really struggled with Embiid on the floor (-8) and thrived in his limited minutes off (+11).
  • The Sixers got 16 combined free throws from Embiid (10) and Ben Simmons (6).
  • No Robert Williams in the first half, even though he’s available after clearing COVID protocols. That’s likely a match-up based decision — Embiid is too big for Williams.
  • The Celtics gave up nine offensive rebounds, but they were only outscored 10-9 on second-chance points.

2:29 – Predictably, the Sixers have outscored the Celtics 20-12 in the paint, and equally predictably, the Celtics have outscored the Sixers 11-8 on fast-break points. The Celtics could use a friendlier fast-break gap.

5:22 – I realize this means nothing in a live blog with no video context, but it still should be said: Kemba Walker looks incredible.

6:28 – The Celtics are really struggling with Joel Embiid. That’s pretty normal obviously, but they are having a hard time rotating when Embiid passes out of the Celtics’ constant double teams. If the Sixers keep the ball moving around the perimeter, Boston’s scrambling defense hasn’t quite been able to catch up yet.

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8:35 – Last season, Walker’s minutes with the bench (i.e. without Tatum and Brown) were a major struggle, but right now, he looks aggressive and quick attacking the basket and finding teammates. If Walker is as healthy as he looks at the moment, the Celtics’ ceiling rises quite a bit.

After 1st quarter: 32-25 Philadelphia.

0:00 – Update: It wasn’t perfect. The Celtics got a floater from Jeff Teague, but the Sixers’ lead ballooned to seven.

1:20 – The Celtics, down three, are trying to finish the final two minutes of the quarter without Walker or Brown on the floor. This will be an interesting test for the bench, and a nice chance to capitalize on the quarter break for rest.

2:49 – Brown and Walker account for 14 of Boston’s 19 points in the early going. The Celtics can’t get away with 73 percent of their offense coming from two players.

4:57 – 17-2 run for the Sixers, who found the range on their 3-pointers.

6:37 – As I wrote that the Celtics started well, Tobias Harris heated up and scored eight straight points.

Meanwhile, the Celtics once again appear to be struggling to integrate Brown and Walker together. Your-turn-my-turn offense isn’t ideal — Brown is dangerous, and the Celtics have unlocked something by putting the ball in his hands often.

8:30 – Really nice start for the Celtics. Kemba Walker’s ability to pull up out of the pick-and-roll is crucial — something he struggled with against Philly at times last year. When the Sixers sag, he has the ability to punish defenses (as does Jaylen Brown).

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One area of concern: The Sixers are letting the Celtics big shoot. Boston needs to be able to punish that defense, or the paint will be very crowded.

PREGAME

– The Celtics faced the Sixers in the preseason in a game that probably should be largely discounted for the time being. An interesting note: Per the NBA’s lineup data, Boston defended Ben Simmons most often last year with Gordon Hayward. Second-most: Jayson Tatum. The latter won’t play due to COVID protocols. The former won’t play since the Celtics weren’t willing to fork over $30 million per year until he turns 34.

– A good sign for the Celtics here:

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