Celtics Discuss Significance of Rivalry Win vs. 76ers for No. 1 Seed in East.

The Celtics' 117-107 win over the Sixers puts them back atop the Eastern Conference. But it's how Boston, down two of its top players, won that has more significance.

Wednesday night at Wells Fargo Center, the Boston Celtics were without Jaylen Brown (non-Covid illness) and Kristaps Porzingis (right knee contusion).

Despite being down two of their top players, they outscored the Philadelphia 76ers 60-49 in the second half and 15-9 in the final five minutes.

As head coach Joe Mazzulla discussed after Boston's 117-107 win in the City of Brotherly Love, that post-halftime surge stemmed from increased defensive activity on the weak side, leading to getting the stops needed to maintain an up-tempo pace.

That fueled better ball movement than in the second quarter. The visitors, playing with less tempo that frame, committed six turnovers, leading to nine of the 36 points Philadelphia put on the board, while the C's only produced 20.

But after intermission, they assisted on 12/20 field goals and drilled 11/27 (40.7 percent) of their attempts from beyond the arc.

Raising their energy, activity, and the ability to consistently create quality looks or parlay six offensive rebounds into eight second-chance points are why the Celtics won on Wednesday.

Boston's bench boss stated after his team improved to 9-2, besting one of its rivals to reclaim the top seed in the Eastern Conference, "We're trying to have the same level of intensity every single game. We're gonna get everyone's best every single game."

But when asked if the opponent and the win's significance on the standings at this early juncture of the 2023-24 campaign meant more than a typical regular-season victory, Jayson Tatum, who registered a game-high 29 points, pairing it with eight rebounds, six assists, and two steals, expressed the following.

"Yeah. I think it just speaks to the culture of our team and (of) our organization. How it's just next man up mentality," adding, "We don't make excuses, we just try to find ways to win."

Al Horford, who finished with 14 points, made 4/8 threes, grabbed eight rebounds, had a game-high five blocks, and did a terrific job against Joel Embiid, who had only 12 points in the second half, conveyed, "It was good for us to come out and be resilient and find a way to win this game.

"Obviously, they were on a back-to-back, so that's something you have to take into account, but for us, it was the ability to stay in it and close out the game."

Now, the Celtics travel north of the border to face the Toronto Raptors on Friday night in a matchup that tips off at 7:30 EST.

Further Reading

Joe Mazzulla Discusses Keys to Celtics Second-Half Turnaround in Win Over 76ers

Here's What Stood Out as Celtics Beat 76ers in Their Best Win of Young Season

Joe Mazzulla Believes Celtics' Second Unit is 'Starting to Develop an Identity'

From Jrue Holiday's Milestone to Jayson Tatum's Post-Ups, Here's What Stood Out in Celtics' Win vs. Knicks

Jaylen Brown Says the Celtics’ Rebounding Helped in Win vs. Knicks

Kristaps Porzingis Discusses Chemistry with Jaylen Brown: 'I Love Playing with Him'

Joe Mazzulla Shares What's 'Far Exceeded My Expectations' of Kristaps Porzingis

Jaylen Brown on Celtics Learning from Losses and Building Chemistry: 'It's a Learning Curve'

From Self Doubt to Celtics History, Jayson Tatum Discusses Journey to 10,000 Points: 'I Didn't Think I Was Good Enough'

Kristaps Porzingis Gives Glimpse of How He'll Boost Celtics Late-Game Offense

Under Joe Mazzulla, Celtics Rebuilding Brotherhood Between Past and Present