December 01, 2023
The Sixers headed to Boston for a nationally-televised matchup on Friday night, but the game lost its major intrigue before tip-off. Here is what stood out as the undermanned Sixers fell to the Celtics, 125-119:
The Sixers entered this one without Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, Nic Batum, Kelly Oubre Jr. and Danuel House Jr., a brutal break for a team that had been clicking of late
Embiid missed his second straight game with an illness. Maxey missed his first game of the season for the same reason.
The Sixers started Patrick Beverley, De'Anthony Melton, Tobias Harris, Marcus Morris Sr. and Paul Reed in this one, going up against a Celtics team only missing Kristaps Porzingis. If there was ever an underdog, this was it.
• This one got off to a rough start for the Sixers, as Beverley threw the ball right to Jaylen Brown for a pick-six on the first play of the game. After that, though, the Sixers were able to get in a surprising groove offensively, led by Harris, who scored three times, and Reed, who knocked down a three and scored an and-one.
• The Sixers' offense was good early on. Their defense... not so much. Per the usual, with Embiid unavailable, the floodgates opened. Boston took advantage, scoring 44 — yes, 44 — points... in the first quarter alone. The Celtics got whatever they wanted at all three levels, drew consistent fouls, and happened to knock down just about every look.
• The Sixers got some terrific early minutes from Robert Covington, who knocked down two triples and a pair of free throws in the first quarter. Covington helped them stay afloat early in the game with his offensive punch.
• Also crucial for the Sixers early on was Beverley, who shook off a few rough plays early and scored nine points in the first quarter. He continues to get better offensively, which could be a big deal: right now, their biggest hole is the backup point guard position because of his offensive deficiencies. If Beverley can become valuable at all on that end of the floor, that could quickly change.
• Beverley and Melton got on one hell of a heater in the second quarter, and each finished the first half with 16 points, combined to knock down five triples and Melton even put together a few impressive (and uncharacteristic) finishes at the rim. Melton's offense — missed layups aside — has been phenomenal of late.
• The Sixers finished the first half with 72 points, making up for their brutal defense by exposing Boston's to an even greater degree. Perhaps the most impressive part: there was no single dominant force. Beverley and Melton each scored 16 in the first half, but Harris also had 11, with Reed and Covington each chipping in with 10 and Morris giving them eight. To say it was a balanced effort would understate just how egalitarian the success was.
• Perhaps the only two individually-disappointing performers in the first half were Furkan Korkmaz, who failed to do anything of note offensively despite being empowered with the ball and committed two turnovers, and KJ Martin, who had a few rough misses around the rim.
• Jaden Springer was available to play after missing a couple of games with an illness, and this seemed like a very logical spot to use him. Nurse opted to play Korkmaz and Martin instead. It's impossible to know whether that was a basketball decision or if it was incited by Springer still recovering, but it's noteworthy nonetheless.
• On top of his pivotal offense, Covington had four steals and a block... in the first half. His hands remain ridiculous.
• Boston was able to pull back in front early in the third quarter thanks to some big plays from Brown, Derrick White and Jrue Holiday. The Sixers' offense finally cooled off, as their three-point tries were suddenly no longer falling. White made heady plays all game long on both ends of the floor, as he is known to do.
• With the Celtics in control and seemingly pulling away, Mo Bamba, the night's backup center, made a few mistakes. He dropped a pass out of bounds and threw away a pass for a turnover. Just when it looked like things were going poorly, he knocked down two straight threes off pick-and-pop actions with Beverley, huge shots that combined to tie the game up, and moments later hammered home a put-back dunk. These were enormous minutes from Bamba.
• With just 2.6 seconds left in the third quarter, Boston superstar Jayson Tatum was called for an offensive foul after hitting Covington in the face. Tatum, as he often does, argued with the officials. But he did so one too many times: Tatum picked up his second technical foul of the game, and was subsequently ejected. The foul was also upgraded to a Flagrant 1.
• In addition to his scoring, Beverley was active as a rebounder and distributor in this one, as he found his way into multiple loose balls — as he often does — and made winning plays beyond just putting the ball in the basket. This was far and away his best game as a Sixer
• After a great start, Harris struggled later in this one. The issues with finishing at the rim that have plagued him recently continued, and he fell back into his worst habits with indecisive plays that led to turnovers or ruined possessions. It's fair to have some concern about Harris' skid at this point
• In the very final moments, the Celtics finally pulled away for good. Brown stepped up and made some big shots and free throws, while Al Horford came up with several key defensive plays. Ultimately, a loss is a loss and nobody likes moral victories. But this was, all things considered, a fantastic effort from as undermanned of a team as you will find against a team that very well may be the NBA's best. Kudos to the Sixers for a battle well-fought.
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