Sixers Knock off Celtics at Home on Wednesday Night
After seeing their game get postponed by the NBA on Sunday, the Philadelphia 76ers returned to the court on Wednesday night for the first of two matches against the Boston Celtics in South Philly.
Lately, the Celtics and the Sixers have been hit hard by injuries and COVID-related setbacks. While they're starting to get healthier, both teams had key players absent on Wednesday as the Celtics were without Jayson Tatum, and the Sixers still didn't have starting guard Seth Curry available to play.
The first quarter started off well for the Sixers, who drained 50-percent of their shots from the field. Veteran center Joel Embiid started the game off by leading his team in scoring as he shot five-for-six from the field, totaling for 12 points in a little over nine minutes of action before he took the bench for the remainder of the quarter.
Boston, on the other hand, shot just 38-percent from the field to start the game. In addition to their early shooting struggles, the Celtics also struggled to take care of the ball as they turned it over four times, helping the Sixers get off to a 32-25 lead in the first 12 minutes of action.
The tables turned in the second-quarter as Celtics star Kemba Walker helped Boston turn things around on the offensive end. After struggling from the field in the first quarter, the Celtics hit on 61-percent of their shots and drained four of their seven attempted three-point shots. Walker and Celtics backup big man Daniel Theis helped account for 22 of Boston's 36 second-quarter points.
Joel Embiid once again had a solid quarter in limited time. In under six minutes of action, the Sixers big man got to the free-throw line four times and drained all eight of his shots, helping him collect ten more points. Although the Sixers kept the game close in the second quarter, they lost their lead and went into halftime trailing three points as they were outscored by ten before the intermission.
Boston and Philly went blow for blow on offense in the third quarter as both teams shot relatively well. Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart had themselves a solid quarter as they both notched double-digits in scoring in the quarter alone.
Meanwhile, Embiid felt he had to put the Sixers on his shoulders as he collected 14 points in 10 minutes. The big man didn't get much help on the offensive end, making it difficult for the Sixers to pull out in front and gain a lead over the Celtics. Therefore, Philly entered the final quarter trailing by six points.
Finally, in the fourth quarter, the Sixers managed to pull out in front and gain a lead over the Celtics. As Boston struggled to take care of the ball, allowing the 76ers to cause six turnovers, the Celtics scored just 17 points in the fourth quarter.
As a whole, the Sixers put up 31 points, which was enough to get them an eight-point lead by the end of regulation. The Celtics had a solid all-around effort led by Marcus Smart, Jaylen Brown, and Walker -- but Joel Embiid once flashed MVP potential as he accounted for 42 of the Sixers' 117 points. With Wednesday's win, the 76ers advance to 10-5 on the year, picking up their first win against the Celtics this season.
