Sixers’ rally comes up short in loss to undermanned Celtics
BOSTON — Joel Embiid hoisted up a desperation three-pointer over two defenders at the end of the shot clock, and the TD Garden crowd rose to its collective feet before Jayson Tatum buried a 14-foot jumper.
That make secured the 76ers’ 106-99 loss to the Celtics Wednesday night, in a prominent matchup against the Eastern Conference’s top team on the eve of the NBA trade deadline.
Though the Sixers (34-19) were not expected to make a massive move before 3 p.m. Thursday — unlike when they acquired future Hall of Famer James Harden from the Brooklyn Nets for the absent Ben Simmons in last year’s biggest blockbuster — their roster could be tinkered as part of their quest to become a legitimate championship contender.
And Wednesday was a barometer of sorts for the Sixers, who had not faced the Celtics (39-16) since an opening-night loss with their rebuilt roster. Boston was shorthanded Wednesday — missing reigning NBA Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart, interior force Robert Williams and veteran big man Al Horford for the whole game, and All-Star wing Jaylen Brown for the second half after he suffered a facial contusion — but still built double-digit leads in both halves before holding off the Sixers’ late push.
Sam Hauser gave the Celtics a 95-85 lead with about eight minutes remaining, before the Sixers answered with a 10-3 run capped by a Matisse Thybulle three-pointer and Harden free throw to slice that advantage to 98-95 with less than four minutes
to play. But Luke Kornet answered with an alley-oop slam, and Derrick White followed with a deep shot to put the Celtics up, 103-97, with less than two minutes remaining.
Joel Embiid finished with 28 points and seven rebounds, while Harden totaled 26 points and 11 rebounds on a night the Sixers went 10-of-32 from three-point range. Tatum, the Celtics’ All-Star, flirted with a triple-double despite a poor 5-of-15 shooting output, with 12 points, eight rebounds and nine assists.
The Sixers have four more games before the All-Star break: Friday vs. the New York Knicks, Saturday at Brooklyn, Monday vs. the Houston Rockets and next Wednesday vs. the Cleveland Cavaliers. Without Williams and Horford on the floor, Embiid initially got whatever he wanted.
He scored 14 first-quarter points on 6-of-8 shooting. That included a rim-rocking one-handed dunk in transition late in the period, and a three-pointer over the unconventional straight-up “contest” from several feet away by Luke Kornet (which prompted Embiid to wave his hand in front of his nose as if he picked up a pungent odor, then chuckle with Kornet).
The MVP contender was far less dominant after that torrid start, going 5-of-13 in the final three quarters. He was also clearly frustrated in the second quarter, when he drew a technical foul after expressing his displeasure when no foul was called on a tough finish inside.
The Celtics, meanwhile, got a boost from reserve Blake Griffin’s three-point shooting. He buried three long balls in the game’s first four minutes, then another two in the third that helped push Boston’s lead back to 72-64 after the Sixers had briefly evened the score. Kornet also finished with eight points and four rebounds.
The Sixers’ defense has sputtered at times during their two-month surge, and Wednesday was no different.
Boston shot 51.9%, including 19-of-35 from beyond the arc, to make up for allowing 19 points off 14 turnovers and shooting just 10 free throws. That performance occurred even as Tatum and Brown were relatively limited in the first half, combining to score 12 points on 5-of-15 shooting.
Six Celtics finished in double figures: Tatum, Griffin (15 points), Derrick White (19 points), Malcolm Brogdon (19 points), Grant Williams (15 points) and Hauser (14 points). Their bench outscored the Sixers’, 41 to 21.
Thybulle, one of the Sixers’ perimeter stoppers, played just one first-half minute after picking up two fouls, but re-entered the game with the Sixers trailing by seven in the fourth quarter. He played alongside Embiid, Harden, De’Anthony Melton and P.J. Tucker down the stretch, which helped the Sixers make it a single-possession game.