After the Knicks and the Timberwolves, it's the turn of the Sixers to win in this “Christmas Day” 2024 and this, on the floor of the reigning champions of BostonPlease !
A success that Philadelphia was able to afford by leaving Tyrese Maxey (33 points, 12 assists, 3 steals), Joel Embiid (27 points, 9 rebounds) and above all Caleb Martin (23 points) punish them Celtics of Jayson Tatum (32 points, 15 rebounds) throughout the evening. And especially in the fourth quarter…
Philadelphia wanted to shine
The first half turned to the advantage of the Sixers (63-56), very concentrated and above all very inspired in attack, with a lot of variety, like Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey, perfectly supported by Guerschon Yabusele on the way out of bench. Paul George and Caleb Martin are also in it and Kelly Oubre Jr. provides shadow efforts.
Enough to punish the Celtics who, even very skillful at 3-pointers thanks to Jayson Tatum, Al Horford, Derrick White and Kristaps Porzingis, are notably weighed down by the poor performances of Jaylen Brown and Payton Pritchard. Without being able to feed off opposing errors with the ball in hand…
As is often the case with this Boston team, the trend reverses after the break. It must be said that Jaylen Brown finally finds his rhythm and, while Jayson Tatum does not come down, Philadelphia suffers the law of “Jay's” and ends up letting the C's come back who take advantage of a address at half mast and their second chances (82 -82).
Yet without Joel Embiid or Paul George, the Philly players nevertheless recreated a gap at the start of the fourth quarter, under the leadership of Tyrese Maxey and… Caleb Martin, still terribly skillful. A 21-6 run, over five minutes, which almost kills all suspense.
“Almost”, because the Celtics are trying to get back into the “money-time” with the banderillas of Jayson Tatum and Derrick White who initiate an unexpected 11-0. Except that Joel Embiid, in attack and defense, takes the game into his own hands and, thanks to Tyrese Maxey who plants the crucial basket one minute from the end, and yet with 1.1 seconds on the clock, the Sixers end up securing this nice success in Celtic lands, on the free throw line (118-114).
WHAT TO REMEMBER
– A victory that does good for Philadelphia. Have the Sixers finally launched their season? In any case, they put in a very nice collective performance on the floor of the reigning champions. In addition to the contribution of the Joel Embiid – Tyrese Maxey tandem, very valuable in hot moments and to get everyone going before the break, we will highlight the heat stroke of Caleb Martin, who drew with great success from afar. Especially when things got tough in the second half, and to achieve this 21-6 which changed everything.
– Joel Embiid gets a scare. Already injured too often this season, the Sixers pivot almost didn't even take part in this Christmas match because, while stepping back after a shot in warm-up, he landed badly on his ankle due to a cord. security placed all around the floor. Nothing really serious in the end, but the 2023 MVP has definitely been accumulating problems for two months…
– A first zone of turbulence for the champions? Beaten three times in their last four outings, the Celtics have conceded two defeats in a row for the first time this season. Their first moment of doubt of 2024/25? Certainly, Jayson Tatum did not play in Orlando and Jrue Holiday (then Kristaps Porzingis…) did not play against Philadelphia, but Boston has the squad to withstand a few absences. Or, in any case, avoid being punished almost for overconfidence/laxity like on Christmas Eve…
– Kristaps Porzingis out with injury. Without Jrue Holiday, injured in the shoulder, the Celtics also had to deal along the way without “KP”, who apparently sprained his ankle at the very start of the match. Although he managed to finish the first half, he did not return in the second half and this is – already – the third time (in… eleven matches!) that he leaves prematurely after contracting an injury this season.
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How to read the stats? Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; O = offensive rebound; D=defensive rebound; T = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; +/- = Point differential when the player is on the field; Pts = Points; Eval: player evaluation calculated from positive actions – negative actions.
