Joel Embiid, Sixers Explain Struggles in Game 3 vs. Celtics

Coming off of their first loss in the 2023 NBA Playoffs, the Philadelphia 76ers wanted to bounce back after falling victim to a blowout against the Boston Celtics in Game 2.

Heading back home for the first time in two weeks, the Sixers had home-court advantage for the first time in the second-round series this season.

Through the first half of action, the Sixers struggled on the offensive end of the floor once again, knocking down just 36 percent of their shots from the field. They trailed by seven points going into halftime.

At that point in the game, Sixers center Joel Embiid was encouraged about his team’s ability to climb back in the second half and put up a better fight.

“I thought at the end of the first half, we kind of started playing the right way,” said Embiid. “I wouldn’t say that to start the game, they jumped on us and made a lot of threes. We were able to calm down, get a few stops, and get back in the game.”

In the third quarter, the Sixers and the Celtics traded five threes. However, Boston shot slightly better from the field and outscored the Sixers 31-27 before going into the fourth quarter.

The Sixers were searching for a momentum shift in their favor in crunch time. Every time they managed to cut into Boston’s lead, they couldn’t complete the comeback.

Sixers guard James Harden pointed to the team’s offensive inefficiency for the second-straight game as a reason why they came up short.

“We didn’t score the ball the basketball,” Harden stated. “We didn’t play well offensively. Simple.”

Meanwhile, Joel Embiid thought Boston’s ability to win second-chance opportunities was the X-factor for the Celtics.

“One of the biggest keys of the game was loose balls, 50-50 balls, just every single time they just kept getting them and would make a three and change the whole momentum,” Embiid explained. “That end of the third quarter, we missed a bunch of wide-open threes. They came back every single time and scored.

"Those little things, I understand missing shots, but then again, that just can’t happen. And then loose balls, the last two games, that’s been an issue. Down four, we had an opportunity to go after the ball, but we didn’t go after it, and then Al makes a three, down seven with three minutes left. Those little things matter in the playoffs. We just got to be better.”

“They're winning the possession game overall, the last two games, and to me, that's been the deciding factor,” Doc Rivers added. “They didn’t shoot well, they shot 44 percent, and we shot 39 percent. We shot better from the three, but they got extra possessions. … It was really the extra possessions.”

The Celtics defeated the Sixers for the second-straight time by collecting a 114-102 victory in South Philly. With that win, Boston goes up 2-1 in the series. The two teams will meet on Sunday afternoon for Game 4.