Banner Town Breakdown: Embiid and Brown Duel in Sixers Win
Bill Streicher | USA TODAY Sports
After a tough loss in Philadelphia on Wednesday, Boston stayed in town to take on the 76ers again tonight. With Jayson Tatum still out due to health and safety protocols, it would once again be up to Kemba Walker and Jaylen Brown to lead the offense. Even more importantly, however, would be the Celtics’ ability to guard Joel Embiid, who exploded in Wednesday night’s game. Embiid had 42 points and 10 rebounds, while also shooting 17-21 from the free-throw line. If the C’s wanted any chance in this one, containing Embiid was going to be the number one priority.
For the Sixers, Seth Curry was back in the starting lineup after missing the last seven games. Their only missing pieces were Vincent Poirier and Mike Scott. Meanwhile, along with Tatum, the C’s were without Carsen Edwards, Aaron Nesmith, and Romeo Langford. Nesmith joined the others on the injury report after tweaking his back in a recent practice, although it has been said that it’s nothing long-term. Boston started Walker, Marcus Smart, Brown, Grant Williams, and Tristan Thompson, while Philadelphia rolled out Ben Simmons, Curry, Danny Green, Tobias Harris, and Embiid.
Right from the jump, it was clear that Embiid hadn’t lost a step since the last game. He was giving the Celtics fits all game long, although Boston did do a much better job of keeping him off the line. Embiid’s jumper from the mid-range was butter all night long, and no matter what the C’s threw at him he was always hitting it in their faces. He was getting through gaps on double teams and always managed to find his way to the spot he needed to get to. Despite this, he was still complaining every single time he didn’t get the call he wanted from the officials. He’s the X-factor in Philly and nearly impossible to slow down.
Aside from Embiid, Harris was also really solid for the Sixers. Whenever Doc Rivers did send Embiid to the bench, Harris would step up and do his best James Harden impression. Outside of some threes from Curry, the guy was their entire offense without Embiid. What made it even more spectacular, though, was the fact that he was making some insane shots. There was one in particular that he made over Smart that was extremely impressive. For a guy who struggled so much against the Celtics in the playoffs last year, he came to play in this one.
On the other side of the coin, Brown and Walker really delivered for the Celtics. Both of them were extremely aggressive, especially when driving to the rim. Walker was getting into the teeth of the defense in typical Kemba fashion and was making the most of his minutes restriction (upgraded from 20 minutes to 25-28 minutes for this one). Meanwhile, Brown was the real spark plug for Boston’s offense. He wasn’t too great shooting the ball from the mid-range, which is normally where he shines, but he was amazing from everywhere else on the floor. He was super physical when driving to the basket and even showed off his improved three-point shot, exploding to tie his career-high in points with 42. Both of these guys came up big in a game where they really needed to, regardless of the end result.
This game had the intensity of a playoff series, which tends to happen with these two-game mini-series’ that were implemented by the NBA this year. Both teams were getting heated with each other and with the referees all night. Embiid and Smart exchanged words, Brown and Simmons had a little entanglement, and Dwight Howard was absolutely bullying every Celtic that met him in the restricted area. It was clear that both teams wanted this win and were willing to put their bodies on the line to do so.
The end of the game is where things really got out of control. Simmons figured something out in the fourth and was feasting in the paint for Philadelphia. Pair that with the fact that Boston’s only source of consistent offense was Brown, and the Sixers built themselves a nice little lead. Ever since the end of the third quarter, the Celtics were getting absolutely dominated. It was a repeat of the game on Wednesday - the Celtics hitting a wall in the final stretch and being completely incapable of generating any kind of offense. That type of play just won’t win basketball games.
Aside from the positives of Brown and Walker playing great, the C’s depth really struggled. Grant, Thompson, and Jeff Teague all struggled mightily in this one. Williams was constantly in the wrong position defensively, Thompson was having a hard time getting things going on offense, and Teague was just all over the place while handling the ball. On top of it all, Payton Pritchard also got bit by the injury bug in this one. Early on, Brown fell into Pritchard’s knee and it was later announced that he was out with a right knee sprain. Super discouraging for a rookie who was having such a great season.
Despite a late surge from Walker, Philadelphia took home the victory behind another dominating performance from Embiid. The Celtics couldn’t find any offense in the latter half of the game, and the Sixers took advantage of that winning 122-110. Losing two games in a row is a tough pill to swallow for anyone, but when it’s against a team like the Sixers it stings that much more. Boston will have to regroup quickly, as they take on Collin Sexton and the Cavaliers on Sunday, January 24th at 6:30 PM EST on NBC Sports Boston.
Standout Performers
Jaylen Brown: 42 pts, 9 reb, 3 ast
Marcus Smart: 20 pts, 3 reb, 7 ast
Kemba Walker: 19 pts, 3 reb, 5 ast
Joel Embiid: 38 pts, 11 reb, 3 ast
Tobias Harris: 23 pts, 8 reb, 3 ast
Ben Simmons: 15 pts, 3 reb, 11 ast
Seth Curry: 15 pts, 0 reb, 1 ast
