Paul makes case for himself in preseason win

AMHERST, MASS. » With both Joel Embiid and Dario Saric making their NBA preseason debuts, the 76ers launched a second-half comeback behind a strong contribution from free agent hopeful Brandon Paul en route to a 92-89 victory over the Boston Celtics at the Mullins Center.

Embiid, who missed the last two seasons due to foot problems, scored but six points but put in nearly 13 minutes of work in the middle.

Paul, the former Illinois star who went undrafted in 2013, was signed by the club in July after appearing in summer league action with them. He isn’t expected to stick, but on this first chance drove the team down the stretch. He wound up with 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the floor, including a pair of three-pointers, with four rebounds in nearly 13 minutes.

The Sixers overturned what had been a 43-31 halftime lead for the Celtics.

T.J. McConnell scored 13 points in 24 minutes of action for the Sixers, while Saric (six rebounds) and Jerami Grant had 10 points each.

Terry Rozier led the Celtics with 12 points. Al Horford, playing his first game with Boston after nine years with Atlanta, had eight points and eight rebounds. Boston’s Jordan Mickey had a chance to tie at the buzzer but missed a three-point attempt.