Shorthanded Celtics Defeat Sixers in Boston on Wednesday

After a two-day break, the Philadelphia 76ers took a trip to pay a visit to the Boston Celtics for the second time this season on Wednesday night.

Going into their Wednesday night battle against the Celtics, the Sixers were coming off of a disappointing loss against the New York Knicks. Despite leading by as many as 21 points in the first quarter of the outing, the Sixers failed to take care of the lead and ended up suffering a double-digit loss.

Wednesday’s game against Boston definitely didn’t pose an easier matchup for Philadelphia as they faced the defending Eastern Conference Champions, who currently place first in Eastern Conference.

In their first meeting against the Celtics at the start of the season, the Sixers came up short with a 126-117 loss. On Wednesday, the Sixers looked to even the regular season series against an undermanned Boston team.

Quarter Breakdown

1st Quarter

The Sixers entered the game with an advantage on Wednesday. As Joel Embiid was cleared for action after being listed as questionable due to foot soreness once again, Embiid was in a favorable situation as two Celtics centers, Al Horford and Robert Williams, were ruled out for the night.

Boston struggled to contain the Sixers’ offensive attack at the jump. Within the first couple of minutes, the Sixers fired up a 7-0 run. It wouldn’t be long before the Celtics got themselves back into rhythm, though. Within a couple of minutes, the Celtics were able to get out in front with an 11-9 lead.

As the Sixers tested Blake Griffin’s shot, the veteran made them pay as he knocked down all three of his shots from beyond the arc within five minutes. The Sixers wouldn’t allow Boston to make a run with the lead. For most of the first quarter, the Sixers had control of the game. But in the final minutes, the Celtics squeezed a 30-27 lead to conclude the first quarter.

2nd Quarter

The Sixers hoped to avoid the bench struggles they dealt with in their matchup on Sunday against New York. With a lineup of Shake Milton, Tyrese Maxey, Georges Niang, Tobias Harris, and Montrezl Harrell, Philadelphia took a bit of a hit defensively.

With that, the Celtics got off to a favorable offensive run for themselves. However, the Sixers would answer back on the offensive end with each basket given up. Eventually, the Sixers trotted Embiid and Harden back out onto the floor a little over halfway through the quarter.

Once the lineup switched, though, the Celtics remained in good shape, as they formed an 8-2 run within a minute. With a little over five minutes left, Jayson Tatum nailed a three to give the Celtics their first double-digit lead of the matchup, as they went up 47-35.

There was a hint of frustration from the Sixers as the quarter winded down. After Embiid hit on a seven-footer for his 16th point, the big man drew himself a technical foul, giving the Celtics a chance to get their 50th point of the game. From that point moving forward, the Sixers kept the game within reach but still entered the second half trailing 59-55.

3rd Quarter

Just as both teams were gearing up for the second half, the Celtics announced that their star guard Jaylen Brown would not return to the court for the remainder of the game. Late in the second quarter, Brown collided with his teammate Jayson Tatum and went down in pain. Brown immediately went to the locker room when he got up. According to the Celtics, Brown suffered a facial contusion.

The injury hits just kept coming on Wednesday night for the Celtics, but they continued to control the game. While the Sixers got a nice boost from a PJ Tucker corner three to get them within two points three minutes into the third quarter, Boston got an even bigger lift from their veteran forward, Griffin.

After knocking down three of his five three-pointers in the first half, Griffin nailed two threes within the first four minutes. His second make from deep gave the Celtics a 72-64 lead.

Overall, the Sixers’ shooting from the field took a slight dip in the third quarter. Putting up 21 shots as a team, the Sixers hit on 43 percent of their attempts. Though the Celtics took fewer shots and even turned the ball over more, their efficiency made it difficult for the Sixers to ever tie the game up, although they’ve had the score within one possession.

Knocking down nearly 60 percent of their 17 shots and drilling 78 percent of their threes, the Celtics outscored Philadelphia 27-24 at the start of the second half. As a result, Boston entered the fourth quarter with an 86-79 lead.

4th Quarter

The Sixers issued Joel Embiid a break at the start of the fourth as they trotted out Harrell for the first few minutes. Relying on the backcourt, the Sixers got their first fourth-quarter points from Tyrese Maxey, who converted a driving layup. After failing to capitalize on an And-1 opportunity, Maxey grabbed his own rebound before struggling to make his follow-up shot.

On the other end of the floor, the Sixers gave up a deep two from Boston’s Sam Hauser. The Sixers and the Celtics would engage in a battle of twos for the next couple of minutes before the Sixers were sent into a timeout while trailing seven points with nine minutes left to go in the game.

Coming out of the timeout, the Sixers looked to improve their perimeter defense by allowing Matisse Thybulle to enter the game. Through the first three quarters, Thybulle played under two minutes. The defensive standout got an opportunity to attempt an open corner three within seconds of him being on the floor.

While Thybulle took the shot, he would not convert. On the next possession, Thybulle made up for the miss by getting a signature deflection on the other end, which led to a Tobias Harris dunk attempt in transition, which was blocked. Boston then capitalized by knocking down a corner three, sending the Sixers into another timeout as they led by ten points.

A little over halfway through the fourth quarter, the Sixers were entering do-or-die territory. Considering they had been trailing throughout the entire matchup, they needed to turn the tables before it became too little too late. Following their timeout, the Sixers subbed in Joel Embiid, hoping for an offensive boost immediately. Unfortunately, the Sixers struggled to score on their next couple of shots from the field. While they benefitted from successful James Harden free throws, the Sixers would give the points right back on the other end.

The Sixers clearly felt the urgency. After giving up an And-1 with a little over five minutes left to go, Embiid got to the free throw line, where he split his shots. Coming off of a rebound from Thybulle on the defensive end, Harden hit a critical step-back three to get the game within seven points. Seconds later, Thybulle hit a three of his own to narrow the Boston lead down to four points. Eventually, a Harden free throw got the game within one possession.

Coming right out of a timeout, the Celtics immediately extended their lead with an impressive alley-oop. Down by five points, Embiid found a way to get to the line. Once again, he got the score within one possession for the Sixers, who were searching for a comeback. Struggles on the perimeter for Philly's defense would immediately give up a Celtics three on the next possession.

The Sixers put up a good fight until the end, but the Celtics maintained their lead throughout crunch time and put Philadelphia away with a 106-99. Wednesday’s game marked the second time this season the Sixers came up short in Boston.