Instant Observations: 76ers Get Blown Out by Celtics, Drop Sixth Consecutive Game

The Philadelphia 76ers’ disastrous season continued on Thursday night. Philadelphia was blown out by the Boston Celtics, falling 124-104 and dropping their sixth consecutive game.

Paul George finished with 17 points on 7-of-14 shooting. Joel Embiid totaled 15 points, three rebounds and four assists. Tyrese Maxey added 16 points, five rebounds and seven assists.

Justin Edwards (left ankle sprain), Eric Gordon (right wrist sprain), Kyle Lowry (right hip injury management) and Jared McCain (left knee meniscus surgery) were out of the lineup for the Sixers. Head coach Nick Nurse told reporters before the game, via Noah Levick of NBC Sports Philadelphia, Gordon’s injury is “very concerning” and a long-term absence is on the table.

The Celtics were led by Payton Pritchard’s 28 points on 10-of-18 shooting. Jayson Tatum finished with 15 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists. Jaylen Brown totaled 20 points, six rebounds and six assists. Xavier Tillman (left knee inflammation) was the lone player out for Boston.

The Sixers’ next matchup is a home contest against the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday evening. Here are some instant observations from another rough night at the Wells Fargo Center:

Likes:

– George has earned his fair share of criticism this season, particularly when he scored just two points in a loss to the Nets heading into the All-Star break. However, he was able to bounce back against the Celtics, putting together one of his better games from the past few weeks. George was much more involved in the offense, including getting the scoring started with a catch-and-shoot 3-pointer. While it ultimately did not impact the outcome of the game, it was good to see George show some signs of life offensively.

– Maxey benefited from the time off during the All-Star break. He looked fresh and rested, a far different picture from the worn down Maxey seen in the final couple games before the break. While it took him some time to heat up as a scorer, Maxey eventually found his groove. He used his speed and finishing ability to carve through the Celtics’ defense. Unfortunately for the Sixers, Maxey’s performance did not lead to a win.

– Quentin Grimes continues to prove to be a solid addition at the trade deadline. Even without the 3-pointer consistently falling, Grimes is finding ways to produce every night. Against Boston, he crashed the boards and fought hard defensively.

Dislikes:

– There were some positive signs from Embiid’s play early on. With the offense running through Embiid in the post in the first quarter, he effectively found multiple cutting Sixers players for baskets at the rim. The big fella had three assists in the opening quarter of action. Embiid also showed some signs of life on the offensive glass, tipping in a missed layup in the second quarter. A fair portion of Embiid’s scoring production came on trips to the free-throw line.

However, things fell apart for Embiid in the second half. He stopped looking to score and played with no aggression as Boston widened their already big halftime lead. As has so often been the case this season, Embiid looked like an entirely different player in the second half. Whether it is due to a lack of conditioning or his lingering knee issues, Embiid consistently runs out of gas as the game wears on. Even when Embiid manages to play well, it is still clear he is laboring physically. He does not have the same level of mobility, and it is especially clear whenever watching him on the floor in recent weeks.

– The Sixers’ defense was atrocious for large portions of this game against the Celtics. They allowed Boston to tee off from 3-point range, practically walking into one open 3-pointer after another. In theory, playing drop coverage against the pick-and-pop can work against some teams. However, it quickly became clear Boston was hot from deep as they successfully hammered the Sixers’ drop coverage. When Embiid stepped up to defend the screen, the Celtics countered by punishing the Sixers on drives to the basket.

The Sixers attempted to stanch the bleeding by playing some zone defense coming out of halftime. Boston carved it up with a barrage of 3-pointers, scoring 15 points in the first four minutes of the second half. Even attempting to play zone defense against a team that was already on fire from deep is, to put it kindly, not a smart idea.

Philadelphia had no solution for how to defend against the Celtics. The Sixers’ transition defense continued to be brutal. There were multiple miscommunications as players appeared to not know their assignments in transition. Things were no better in the halfcourt. The Celtics walked into far too many wide open shots. For the Sixers to be this bad defensively at this point in the season is confounding.

– There is no reason why Andre Drummond should be receiving minutes for the Sixers. He provides nothing outside of grabbing some rebounds. Within four minutes of being on the floor, Drummond committed both an offensive and defensive three-second violation. His defense also left a lot to be desired as he was beat back down the floor on multiple occasions. That is truly an impressive level of bad basketball.

The Sixers are not going anywhere this season and Drummond is struggling to produce whenever he is on the floor. There is no reason why Adem Bona, the team’s rookie second-round pick, should not be receiving the Sixers’ backup center minutes.

– A lot of chatter has been going around about whether the Sixers should tank the rest of the season. Nothing has gone right for them this season from the stars being unable to stay healthy to the team putting up lackadaisical performances far too often. Sixers management has preached how things are going to be different when the trio of Embiid, George and Maxey are together on the floor. After all, despite all the things that have gone wrong this season the Sixers were just 1.5 games out of the Play-In Tournament coming into the night.

However, performances like the one Philadelphia put up against Boston should put to rest any notion of the Sixers being able to turn things around. Even with all the stars being available, the Sixers put up a putrid performance and were blown out by the Celtics. It is clear to anyone who has watched them this season they have no chance to make something out of this disastrous campaign. Embiid and George are both playing through injuries. There has been speculation about Embiid potentially needing another knee surgery, with this one likely to have a lengthy recovery timeline. George is reportedly having to get injections before every game in order to play through tendon damage in his finger. There is a very clear case for both Embiid and George to be shut down for the rest of the season.

The Sixers also will only control their own first-round pick in the 2025 NBA draft if it is inside the top six. For a team with no salary cap space and minimal trade assets, getting a pick at the top of the draft is the only shot they have at adding another premier talent to the roster. As it currently stands, the Sixers are on the border of being in the range where they would be able to control their first-round pick. Looking at the way the Sixers are playing, even when the stars are all on the floor, and thinking they can still make a run in the playoffs (assuming they get there) is highly questionable. Forfeiting a golden opportunity to add a potential top talent in the draft in order to hold onto the meager hope of turning this season around is organizational malpractice.