76ers falter across the board in 88-87 loss to Celtics

There’s really nothing good to say about last night’s loss to the Boston Celtics. This entire 76ers team was embarrassing and could have had such an easy victory if they played to half of their potential. Joel Embiid, Tobias Harris, Doc Rivers, and many others committed critical mistakes leading to the loss.

Joel Embiid struggled heavily against the Celtics, who started Al Horford to defend the 76ers’ star. Embiid finished the night 3/17 but had a good night defensively, pulling in 18 rebounds alongside three blocks and two steals. However, that doesn’t excuse the complete inability to score a basket against Boston.

Tyrese Maxey, Danny Green, and Tobias Harris combined to shoot just 9/30 from the field or 30%. The group also only made two of their 12 three-point attempts. Off nights are expected, but the worse was Tobias Harris, who has fallen off a cliff in recent showings. In the closing seconds, instead of passing to a wide-open Joel Embiid in the post, guarded by Jaylen Brown, he panics and forces a bad pass and shot that ended the game.

Although he drew up a solid play that likely would have worked, Doc Rivers gave a perplexing response after the game. When asked why Tyrese Maxey wasn’t on the court, Rivers said that he opted for shooting. It was a one-point game, a deep shot wasn’t necessary at all, and there was plenty of time to drive to the basket.

For the Celtics, Jayson Tatum led the team with 26 points and 16 rebounds while everyone else was pretty quiet. The 76ers are back in action tomorrow night on the road against the Atlanta Hawks.

Mandatory Credit: AP