PHILADELPHIA–The Philadelphia 76ers returned home on Tuesday looking to keep their slim hopes alive for the No. 2 seed in the East as they played host to the Boston Celtics. The Sixers entered the night trailing Boston by three games for the No. 2 seed with four games remaining so this one was a must-win game.
Philadelphia used a steady dose of Joel Embiid all night long to deter anything the Celtics could throw at them as they were able to come away with a 103-101 victory as Jayson Tatum missed at the buzzer. It was an important win not only in the standings, but for their psyche as Boston had won the previous three matchups.
Embiid had 52 points on a ridiculous 20-for-25 shooting and 13 rebounds with six assists for Philadelphia, James Harden had 20 points, 11 assists, and five rebounds, and PJ Tucker had 11 points with nine of those coming late in the fourth. Jalen McDaniels had eight points while Tobias Harris added five points and six rebounds.
Here are the player grades after the win: