The Sixers were unable to secure a victory in their season series against the Celtics on Sunday evening.
The team suffered a 114-98 defeat in Boston, resulting in a split of their four-game series against the current No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference. The Celtics advanced to a record of 40-20, while the Sixers fell to 33-27.
Celtics Secure Victory in Boston
Tyrese Maxey scored 33 points and recorded six assists, while VJ Edgecombe contributed with 23 points and five rebounds.
In the matchup against the 76ers, Celtics center Neemias Queta achieved a personal best by scoring 27 points while also grabbing 17 rebounds. Meanwhile, star forward Jaylen Brown contributed with 27 points, along with eight rebounds and eight assists.
Joel Embiid is sidelined due to a right oblique strain. He will also be unavailable for the Sixers’ upcoming back-to-back games on Tuesday against the Spurs and Wednesday against the Jazz.
Maxey Shines for the Sixers
Here are insights regarding the Sixers’ loss against the Celtics:
Similar narrative on rebounding
The Sixers surged to an 8-2 advantage, fueled by a floater from Kelly Oubre Jr. along with three-pointers from Maxey and Edgecombe.
Queta’s Career-High Performance
In the first quarter, Maxey frequently drove to the basket, particularly at the beginning of the shot clock. He took 11 shots during that initial period.
In the opening eight minutes, Dominick Barlow, Andre Drummond, and Adem Bona each scored with put-back layups. The Celtics, spearheaded by Queta, inflicted even more early damage on the offensive boards. Remarkably, half of Boston’s 26 points in the first quarter came from second-chance opportunities.
Queta showcased exceptional performance during the first half. While his impressive game isn’t solely attributed to Drummond, the Sixers clearly require their experienced center to step up on the defensive boards when Embiid is off the court.
Embiid’s Injury Impact
Throughout all three seasons with head coach Nick Nurse, the Sixers have demonstrated a significantly stronger performance in offensive rebounding compared to their defensive rebounding. As of Sunday, they were positioned eighth in the league for offensive rebounding rate and 28th for defensive rebounding rate, as reported by Cleaning the Glass.
Much of this can be attributed to the strengths and limitations of the Sixers’ roster. It also reflects Nurse’s fundamental approach to the game. He prefers an aggressive strategy aimed at creating turnovers and encourages players to pursue offensive rebounds.
Once again, the Sixers’ difficulties with defensive rebounding emerge as a significant concern heading into the playoffs.
Relying significantly on Maxey
Despite starting the game 2 for 12 from beyond the arc, the Celtics managed to gain an advantage early in the second quarter.
Maxey and Nurse seemed to become more frustrated with the absence of fouls called against the Sixers’ All-Star guard. In the first half, he struggled significantly, making only 4 of 18 attempts from the field.
While Maxey did take a few difficult shots, he primarily had clear opportunities. When he’s the only prominent player available and the opposing teams don’t heavily double-team him, the Sixers expect Maxey to shoot frequently. At times, their offensive success relies on whether he can make his shots. He ended the game with a season-high of 34 attempts, missing 22 of them.
No enchantment on the first night
The Sixers broke away from their usual third-quarter performance and made the game more competitive.
Alongside Maxey, who rediscovered his shooting prowess, Edgecombe was instrumental. After sinking a three-pointer, Edgecombe secured a rebound and passed the ball forward to Maxey for a fast-break layup. A three from Maxey with just 2.2 seconds remaining in the third quarter narrowed the gap for the Sixers to six points.
Similar to his performance against the Knicks, Edgecombe had two standout road games during his rookie season versus the Celtics. Although Boston displayed more regard for Edgecombe’s shooting than they did on opening night, he still attempted 11 three-pointers, making five of them. In the two matchups this season in Boston against the Sixers, Edgecombe accumulated 57 points, 12 rebounds, and six assists.
Barlow replicated his impressive performance from the first game, contributing 14 points, eight rebounds, and three steals.
Nurse concluded his engagement with Quentin Grimes regarding Barlow. Grimes had a subdued performance, scoring five points on 2-of-5 shooting along with two assists in 27 minutes of play. Cameron Payne continued to be the other bench guard for the Sixers, contributing only five minutes without scoring. Additionally, the Sixers struggled to get much output from Oubre, who managed just four points on 2-of-10 shooting.
The Sixers stayed competitive and were down by six points with just over four minutes remaining, but they lacked their signature comeback flair from opening night. They failed to convert crucial jump shots, the Celtics continued to secure key offensive rebounds, and Boston ultimately didn’t have to worry about the closing moments.