Instant Observations: Embiid, Maxey Lead 76ers to Win Over Celtics

The Philadelphia 76ers extended their winning streak to six games with a 106-103 win over the Boston Celtics on Wednesday night at Wells Fargo Center.

Joel Embiid led the Sixers with 27 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and four blocks. Tyrese Maxey added in 25 points, nine rebounds and five assists. Tobias Harris finished with 17 points and nine rebounds.

The Celtics were led in their losing effort by Kristaps Porzingis, who scored 29 points on 10-of-18 shooting. Jayson Tatum finished with 16 points, 15 rebounds, six assists and three steals.

The Sixers now sit at 6-1 on the season. They play their first game of the NBA’s inaugural In-Season Tournament against the Detroit Pistons on Friday night. Here are some instant observations from the win over the Celtics:

– The Celtics usually have crafty strategies defending against Embiid, and this game was no different. They had Jrue Holiday defending Embiid, with a consistent double team, to begin the game. This allowed them to use Porzingis as more of a roamer defensively. Embiid had some success against this defensive alignment, including a possession where he spun around Holiday and dunked it over the crashing Porzingis. After the opening few minutes, Boston switched to having Porzingis or Al Horford, once he checked into the game, defend Embiid.

Regardless of the defensive strategy, Embiid still produced for the Sixers. He got to his moves quickly, aggressively attacking into the paint against the smaller Boston defenders. Embiid single-handedly kept the Sixers afloat in the third quarter, scoring 13 of the team’s 20 points. While he quieted down in the fourth quarter, his lone make was a critical mid-range jumper in the final minute of the game.

This was also one of Embiid’s better games defensively this season. He was a menace defending around the basket, either blocking or otherwise impacting a ton of Boston’s shots in the paint. So far this season, Embiid has made a more concerted effort to defend the paint. His rim protection has been elite this season, something that will hopefully continue moving forward.

– Maxey struggled at times operating in the half-court against the Celtics’ talented perimeter defenders. However, he ultimately was still able to put his imprint on the game. The Celtics had little to no answer on how to defend Maxey’s speed in transition. He consistently pushed the pace, leading to multiple Sixers buckets. While Embiid carried the Sixers in the third quarter, Maxey took his turn in the final frame. He carved up Boston’s defense primarily with the floater, scoring 11 points in the fourth quarter. He did not have an efficient night as a scorer, but when it counted he was able to get it done.

Offense is always going to be Maxey’s strength, but he is also making improvements as a defender this season. His chase-down block on a Holiday layup attempt in the second quarter was incredible.

whole team effort. pic.twitter.com/jlaz3KITsJ

— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) November 9, 2023

He also mixed it up defending Jaylen Brown in the post in the third quarter, resulting in an offensive foul and a forced turnover. The progress Maxey has shown defensively so far this season is promising to see.

– Speaking of defense, the Sixers’ team defense was excellent all night long. They put on a clinic in how to defend Boston’s star duo of Tatum and Brown, both of whom minimally impacted the game. One of the key differences from years past is their ability to switch and rotate defensively. There were multiple Boston possessions resulting in either a poor shot or shot clock violation due to the Sixers’ ability to effectively rotate defensively. Boston was held to 40% shooting from the field.

– Another ho hum performance from Harris, who continues to wrack up strong performances this season. His offense has been a constant this season. He is flourishing in an increased role from last season, running the floor in transition and generally playing with a ton of confidence.

– Kelly Oubre Jr. continued his impressive start to the season. In addition to his usual quick trigger as a shooter, he crashed the glass hard. The shots will not always fall, but it is refreshing for the Sixers to have a role player who is not afraid to shoot the ball. He finished the game with 14 points and eight rebounds.

– De’Anthony Melton had his worst game of the season, and it was not close. He was unable to build off his strong game against the Washington Wizards. His jumper simply is not falling right now, shooting just 1-of-7 from 3-point range. He also committed a costly turnover late in the fourth quarter. Melton has proven to be a good role player for the Sixers, but at this point head coach Nick Nurse needs to at least consider removing him from the starting lineup.

One potential candidate to replace Melton’s spot in the starting lineup is Nic Batum. He had another solid performance that included crashing the boards, knocking down a 3-pointer and playing smart defense. He left the game late in the first half with a gruesome-looking finger injury, but he returned with it taped up in the second half.

– It was good to see Paul Reed recover from his poor start to the season. He is stringing together his second consecutive strong performance off the bench. His contributions were critical to the second unit’s success against the Celtics. In a five-minute stint to begin the second quarter, he tallied six points and four rebounds.