The Boston Celtics dropped a close game against the Philadelphia 76ers Monday, just two nights after coming back to beat the New York Knicks. The Celtics could not put Joel Embiid and the Sixers away, despite finishing the third quarter with a lead after trailing for a majority of the game.
With both teams short-handed due to players in health and safety protocols, each teams’ stars played big minutes. That means Joel Embiid got even more minutes than he normally does and he made the most of them. Embiid worked the Celtics lean frontcourt for 41 points, including wonderous long-two in the final minute to ice the game for the Sixers. Tobias Harris and Seth Curry each scored in the mid-20’s with efficient shooting. The Sixers didn’t get much else from their roster, but evidently, they didn’t need it as they took home the win 108-103.
The Celtics struggled to secure the ball and underperformed from beyond the arc en route to the loss. They coughed up 18 turnovers to 16 assists and finished shooting 25.9% from deep. Against a team with a legitimate star and a solid supporting cast like the Sixers, that’s not going to win many games. However, they still almost did and overall gave an energetic effort at times. The closing quality is still lacking from this team at the moment, though, as they fall to 15-16 on the season.
Here are some player grades from the loss.