Everything you need to know about the Boston Celtics 108-103 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers with BSJ insight and analysis.
IN A NUTSHELL
The Celtics fell behind in the first quarter thanks to some cold shooting from Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown plus some very comfortable looks for Joel Embiid. However, the C’s responded, following a familiar script of good second and third quarters behind some much-improved defense. They took a lead deep into the fourth quarter but mistakes and an Embiid hot stretch cost them.
HEADLINES
Embiid’s life was too comfortable: “We started out with the game plan that we wanted to guard him 1-on-1 with heavy digs,” Jaylen Brown explained. That means it was Enes K. Freedom’s job to cover Embiid and guards in his area were supposed to “dig,” or basically get a hand into his dribbling space to try to knock the ball free or get him to pick up his dribble.
They barely did that. They let him get super comfortable from the field early and then later in the game when they were trying to bother him more, he was in a zone.
Late game execution is still a problem: This is the Danny Green 3-pointer that gave Philly the lead.
Marcus Smart is actually getting ready to dig, but do so in a position where he’s going to get back out to Seth Curry. Jaylen Brown sees Curry get the ball open and overcommits. Smart could have gotten to the contest but for Brown’s decision leaves Green WIDE open.
"The one that really stands out and hurts is the Danny Green three up top," Ime Udoka said after the game. "Got it out of (Embiid's) hands and just the rotation wasn't as sharp as it needed to be behind it, especially on some of the shooters. They had enough guys out there we felt we could help off of, Green not being one of them. So that was one that stands out."
That's poor decision-making. The Celtics also turned the ball over, missed free throws, and got away from their regular offense and played a bit too fast and out of control.
TURNING POINT
The Celtics took a 7 point lead with 4:14 to go and seemed to have all the momentum, but the Sixers gathered an offensive rebound which turned into a Matisse Thybulle 3 and then Tatum was called for a dubious offensive foul which turned into two Joel Embiid free throws. So instead of a stop that gave Boston the ball up 7, the Sixers cut the lead down to 2. The Celtics went 2:16 without scoring (a Smart free throw broke that streak) and 3:10 without a field goal.
THREE UP
Payton Pritchard: 14 points on 6-9 shooting (2-5 3PT). He was in the middle of the best offensive stretch of the game. More on him in a minute.
Jaylen Brown: He dropped 30 but I actually am struggling with this choice. He made some real defensive mistakes, including getting backdoored -- an indication that his mind is elsewhere. But he picked up his offense late and did do a little of everything, including 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals.
Marcus Smart: His shot finally started to fall. He went for 15 on 60% shooting. He only had 3 assists, but his assists always take a hit when Dennis Schröder starts.
THREE DOWN
Dennis Schröder: He was questionable with a non-COVID illness and he played like he was still feeling the effects. I wouldn’t be surprised if this was a situation where he played because he felt he had to. That, to me, means he should not have started. I also hate him starting next to Smart.
Enes K. Freedom: He had nothing for Embiid. The Celtics were certainly shorthanded and he was forced into the starting lineup, but this Sixers matchup is also one that he theoretically is here for. However, to be fair, Embiid wasn’t bullying his way to the hoop much, he mostly got hot from the outside.
Jayson Tatum: The Sixers obviously took a lot away from him, and he was on the cusp of up/down like Brown was. He made some fantastic passes and he’s slowly figuring out craftier attacks and finishes at the rim, but just like Brown’s 30-piece tipped him to “up,” Tatum’s 6 turnovers and 5-14 shooting tipped him “down.”
TOP PLAY
.@smart_MS3 got 🆙 pic.twitter.com/lG6uI7AWBI
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) December 21, 2021
ONE TAKE KARALIS WILL PROBABLY REGRET LATER
Trade Schröder, play Pritchard: I’ve been an advocate for trading Schröder since the moment he was signed, and nothing recently has changed that. In fact, in a recent chat I said that opening up minutes for Pritchard would be a positive side effect of a Schröder trade, and I think we’re seeing what we might get if that happened.
“I'm always going to be confident when I get my chance to play meaningful minutes,” Pritchard said. “It just feels good to go out there these last two games and get a lot of run and obviously, tonight it's unfortunate that we couldn't pull it out.”
Pritchard is going to get targeted defensively, so there will be times he still won’t play quite as much, but on a team desperate for shooting, Pritchard has shown what he can do when teams over-help on Tatum and Brown.
Non-shooters bury the team’s spacing. Schröder will have some hot nights, but he’s not a good shooter. We can deal with Smart’s shooting because he’s an elite defender. Schröder shooting and ball-dominant style is too disruptive.
Move him for picks, give Pritchard the minutes, and see what the added spacing can do for the team.