Sixers' Tobias Harris Had Fun Watching Joel Embiid Dominate vs. Celtics

The Philadelphia 76ers picked up a much-needed win on Monday night against the Boston Celtics. After dropping all three of their games last week, the Sixers missed the opportunity to avoid going winless through that four-game stretch as their Sunday night matchup against New Orleans was postponed.

So, the Sixers did all they could to ensure they avoid falling into a three-game slump when they faced their Atlantic Division rival on the road on Monday.

As expected the Sixers were quite shorthanded on Monday. With several key reserves out due to illnesses, and their starting point guard Tyrese Maxey missing his second-straight matchup due to a quad contusion, the Sixers had to lean on their key starters to successfully get the job done.

Outside of the usual leader of the pack, Joel Embiid, the Sixers got a significant boost from the big man's supporting cast. Seth Curry, who's been highly efficient from the field this season, had himself a stellar outing as he collected 26 points in 39 minutes of action.

Meanwhile, Sixers' power forward Tobias Harris drained seven of his 13 shot attempts for 25 points. Harris and Curry's performances were excellent and needed for Philadelphia, but nobody on the floor played better than Embiid on Monday night.

The Big Man Flashes Brilliance

Embiid wrapped up the first half with 17 points in a little under 19 minutes of action in Boston. While his first couple of quarters were pretty much on par with his usual performances, Embiid went supernova in the second half.

Playing all but 35 seconds of the third quarter, Embiid went 3-6 from the field for seven points. After getting some rest at the top of the fourth quarter, the Sixers' center went back onto the court for the final ten minutes of the game with a chip on his shoulder.

“That was fun to watch,” said Sixers forward Tobias Harris, after the game. “The shots that he was making. He’s one of the best operators on that block, the left block, especially. When he sees a mismatch out there and he sees where he can go and create and get some space, he takes it.”

Embiid was nearly flawless in the fourth quarter of Monday night's game. Of the seven shots he attempted from the field, the Sixers center knocked down four of them. Then, from the free-throw line, he hit on nine of his ten shots. During his final ten minutes of action, Embiid collected 17 points in the fourth quarter alone. He wrapped up the night with 41 points, helping the Sixers secure a 108-103 win.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.