BSJ Game Report: Sixers 103, Celtics 101 - Embiid carries Philly over shorthanded C's

Everything you need to know about the Celtics loss to the Philadelphia 76ers, with BSJ insight and analysis

IN A NUTSHELL

The teams traded early runs as Joel Embiid built up an 18-point first quarter, but Jayson Tatum and Malcolm Brogdon kept the C’s close early on. Derrick White had a big hand in getting Boston a lead with his play on both ends of the floor in the second, but Embiid’s return gave Philly the lead at half. Boston cut into that lead despite Embiid continuing his domination into the third and they took a lead in the fourth behind White and Brogdon. Embiid came back in and continued his roll to rebuild the lead and finish with 52 points. The Celtics nearly stole the game with a wild finish. 

Box Score

HEADLINES

Embiid was a monster: What are you going to do about a guy who shoots 20-25 from the field? Embiid dropped 52 points, and according to NBCS Boston, this is the first time someone has dropped a 50-point, 13-rebound, 6-assist night while shooting 80% since Wilt Chamberlain.

A wild finish: The Celtics were down 7 with 9.8 seconds to go and Marcus Smart got himself a layup and a foul, and then he intentionally missed a free throw and the play worked to get White a 3. That was very nearly a 4-point play but the Sixers challenged a potential foul and won.

But then Embiid committed an offensive foul that gave Boston the ball with just a couple of seconds left and Tatum’s shot missed to the right. 

Not concerned: I’ll get more into this separately, but nothing in this game made anyone change their minds about how a Celtics-Sixers series would go. Without Jaylen Brown and Rob Williams, the Sixers needed 52 from Embiid to barely hold on. 

TURNING POINT

The Celtics made an adjustment to help off PJ Tucker and he made the Celtics pay. Embiid found PJ Tucker for three 3-pointers over exactly two minutes. Embiid mixed in 3 points of his own off a dunk and technical free throw, and the Sixers turned a tie game into a six-point lead. 

THREE UP 

Derrick White: He was the best player on the floor for Boston in this one. 26 points on 50% shooting overall, 40% from 3, 100% from the line. He also added 7 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 more blocked shots. White is just a beast. 

Malcolm Brogdon: The late Brogdon Sixth Man of the Year push continues. 18 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, and he was a big part of Boston winning the non-Embiid minutes. The Sixers have no answers from Brogdon. 

Marcus Smart: 17 points and 4 assists but he was making the little plays all night long. His free throw miss/rebound gave Boston a chance to win the game. 

TWO DOWN

Jayson Tatum: He had 19 points on 20 shots, which is as inefficient as using an open refrigerator to cool down the kitchen. The game swung for Philadelphia when Embiid checked back into the game, but Tatum’s return didn’t help the Celtics at all. They might have been better experimenting down the stretch with a Brogdon/White-centric closing lineup just to get them some reps in a worst-case scenario. Joe Mazzulla could have said he wanted that lineup to get a look together in case they ever had to go without Tatum and Jaylen Brown (who missed the game with a sore back). 

Al Horford: Rough shooting night for Horford. He shot Boston back into their last game against the Sixers but he couldn't replicate that performance. He finished shooting 4-12 (3-10 3pt) on the night. 

TOP PLAYS

TWO TAKES KARALIS WILL PROBABLY REGRET LATER

- Let’s nitpick the final shot

Eh, what the hell … let’s have some fun with final shot! 

Here’s the play: 

via GIPHY

1: I think Smart spent too much time trying to draw a foul. I’m not sure what he was trying to do on the play, but he’d done his job with the foul-drawing in this game. This called for some better execution. 

2: The inbounder is always the most dangerous player in this situation, and Tatum had a chance to catch and quickly get the ball back to White for an open shot because Embiid broke right away on the pass and didn't care where White was. I know Tatum is Tatum so he’s obviously shooting that but man, it would have shown some real guts and trust to get it back to White for a game-winning 3. 

Imagine if that's how it went down? An 8-0 run in 9.8 seconds to win that game? 

3: Super nitpicky: White could have been quicker getting to a spot to show Tatum he was open. That's ultra-super nitpicky. A quick cut for a touch bounce pass and a game-tying floater? 

4: I think Tatum could have taken that dribble he first seemed to want to make so his shot would have been more toward the basket than fading. Considering Embiid’s momentum, he might have been able to draw a foul as well. 

It’s hard to make too much of what happened in two seconds, but precision execution in these situations will win close games. 

- So much of what Harden and Embiid do depends on the refs, which is why they fail in the postseason

This is definitely more geared toward Harden, but it applies to Embiid as well. When half your points come from the line and you need the refs to fall for your grifts, it’s no wonder Harden is a postseason failure. If the refs aren’t falling for his antics, then he’s just not going to be effective. 

Next up: The Celtics host Toronto in the first of a two-game home series tomorrow night