3 observations after Sixers get smoked by Celtics in 1st game after break originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
The Sixers’ first game after the All-Star break sure did not set the desired tone.
They fell to a sixth consecutive defeat Thursday night at Wells Fargo Center, dropping a 124-104 game to the Celtics.
Paul George led the 20-35 Sixers with 17 points. Tyrese Maxey posted 16 points and seven assists.
The 40-16 Celtics’ top scorer was Payton Pritchard, who tallied 28 points. Jayson Tatum recorded a 15-point, 11-rebound, 10-assist triple-double. Jaylen Brown scored 20 points.
The Sixers had four players out in Justin Edwards (left ankle sprain), Kyle Lowry (right hip injury management), Eric Gordon (right wrist sprain) and Jared McCain (left lateral meniscus surgery).
Sixers head coach Nick Nurse said pregame that Gordon has seen two specialists and the team is still unsure of the best path forward with his wrist injury. Nurse said it’s possible the veteran shooting guard could be out long term.
Lonnie Walker IV has not yet officially signed with the Sixers, though Nurse expected he’d be available for the team’s game Saturday night vs. the Nets. There’s a Walker IV name plate (with the No. 16) next to Ricky Council IV in the Sixers’ locker room.
Here are observations on the Sixers’ blowout loss Thursday:
Sixers’ defense starts very slowly
George passed his two-point output from last Wednesday night in Brooklyn on the Sixers’ first possession. He drained a long-range jumper off of a simple Joel Embiid kick-out feed from the post. Embiid handled another double team well on the Sixers’ next trip, spotting Kelly Oubre Jr.’s cut and assisting his dunk.
Boston then made a 9-0 run. The Celtics started 4 for 4 from the floor and went up 11-5 after a Derrick White three-pointer and a pair of Brown free throws.
The Sixers’ defense did not have a banner opening quarter. They allowed quite a few wide-open threes in the first period and Boston knocked down almost all of them. The Celtics shot 8 for 12 beyond the arc in the first and built a double-digit lead late in the quarter. The Sixers had plenty of belated closeouts and didn’t do much to disrupt Boston’s rhythm.
Not an encouraging sign when Embiid and Maxey each play the entire first quarter and the Sixers still face a deficit.
Long-range disparity
Andre Drummond subbed in as the Sixers’ backup center to begin the second quarter. Quentin Grimes served as the backup point guard and Jared Butler did not play in the first half.
Grimes (12 points, seven rebounds) also started and was the Sixers’ first defender on Tatum. Without Edwards, Ricky Council IV rejoined the Sixers’ wing rotation. Guerschon Yabusele was the first man off the Sixers’ bench and played primarily as a power forward.
The Sixers struggled with Embiid and Maxey watching the early stages of the second quarter. George tossed an unsuccessful lob to Drummond off the backboard, which led to a Boston fast break and Luke Kornet dunk. A Pritchard jumper gave the Celtics a 48-36 lead. Pritchard was on fire as soon as he checked into the game, shooting 5 for 6 from three-point range in his first eight minutes of action.
As a team, the Sixers made just 3 of 17 threes in the first half. For the game, they shot a season-worst 20.5 percent (8 for 39).
They were better inside the arc — Maxey had an aggressive, effective spurt late in the second quarter — but it’s obviously hard to win against a defending champion opponent when you’re so inferior in the long-distance department.
The Sixers conceded 36 points in both the first and second quarters. Kristaps Porzingis nailed a pick-and-pop triple on the Celtics’ final first-half possession and the Sixers fell behind by 16 points.
A non-competitive 2nd half
Grimes fouled White on a corner three try early in the third quarter. With a Brown wing jumper, Boston’s lead ballooned to 85-60.
Back on Feb. 2, the Celtics erased a 26-point deficit and won in Philadelphia. The reverse never appeared to be viable Thursday. The Celtics diced up any defense the Sixers played, including heavy doses of zone, and their offense always looked exceedingly comfortable.
Nurse put in Butler at the 6:52 mark of the third quarter and asked David Roddy to check in about a minute later. Butler and Roddy missed their first seven field goals as a duo. Even if they’d gone on a shotmaking spree, the game was already lost.
PhillyVoice’s Adam Aaronson reported postgame that, with Roddy’s 10-day contract expiring, the Sixers are signing him to a two-way deal.
George and Maxey each came back in early in the fourth quarter. Embiid (15 points on 3-for-9 shooting, four assists, three rebounds) stayed on the bench. The Sixers are now 8-10 when he’s played this season and 12-25 without him.
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