Even with Embiid, the Sixers are down 3-1 and staring at yet another disappointing end

Joel Embiid returned from his appendectomy, played 34 minutes, put up 26 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists, and the Sixers still got blown out 128-96 at home. The Celtics lead the series 3-1 and the Sixers’ season is one loss away from being over.

I spent the last two weeks telling everyone that Embiid coming back would change this series. That his presence would slow the game down, control the paint, give the offense structure. He came back and dropped 26 and 10 and the Sixers lost by 32. The same margin as the Game 1 massacre. At home. With their best player on the floor for the first time this postseason.

The problem was never just Embiid being out. The problem is the Celtics are a better basketball team. Deeper, more talented, better coached, and more prepared for the playoffs. Sunday night confirmed it beyond any reasonable doubt.

Nothing but pain with the Sixers…

Overall I’m a pretty decent person. What the Sixers have done to me over the last 10 years is a level of pain and humiliation I couldn’t even begin to explain

— Drew Smith (@drewmsmith) April 27, 2026

If anyone out there is looking at this box score and blaming Embiid, stop talking. You don’t know basketball. You don’t understand what you watched on Sunday night. Embiid was the best Sixer on the floor. He drew two quick fouls on Queta, hit all four free throws, threw down a fast-break dunk, and scored on a powerful post-up layup against Vucevic.

He didn’t hesitate to invite contact, run the floor, or do anything that’s normally part of his game. The mid-range jumper was rusty and he finished 9-for-21 with a rough 1-for-6 from three, but the man had surgery three weeks ago and came out with more fight and aggression than half the healthy players on this roster.

26 & 10 in his first game back from an appendectomy. Anyone blaming Embiid for this loss should have their basketball opinions revoked permanently.

None of it mattered because the rest of the team couldn’t keep up.

Maxey and Edgecombe Were Invisible When It Mattered

Maxey scored seven points on 2-for-3 shooting in the first half. Seven. He’s faced strong defense all series from Derrick White and Jordan Walsh but Sunday night he was too deferential, too passive, too willing to let the game come to him instead of attacking.

He finished with 22 points and six assists but the damage was done in the first half when the Celtics built an 18-point lead and the Sixers couldn’t generate any offensive momentum.

Edgecombe had two points through the first two quarters and was dealing with early foul trouble. After his historic 30-point Game 2, VJ has not been the same player. The Celtics adjusted, took away his driving lanes, and forced him into uncomfortable situations.

When both guards are struggling at the same time, the Sixers don’t have the roster depth to compensate. That was true before Embiid came back and it’s still true now.

The Three-Point Disparity Is Killing the Sixers

The Celtics attempted 53 threes on Sunday. The Sixers attempted 30. Boston made 24. The Sixers made 9. That’s a 45-point gap from three-point shooting alone. You cannot overcome that math no matter who is on your roster. The Celtics launched threes all night, including during a brief stretch when the Sixers tried zone defense, and hit them at a clip that made every defensive stand meaningless.

Offensive rebounding was a disaster again too. The Celtics grabbed six offensive boards in the first quarter while the Sixers had zero. The Sixers kept getting caught ball watching and failing to close out good defensive possessions. Embiid being on the floor was supposed to fix the rebounding problem. It didn’t because the guards aren’t boxing out on the perimeter and the Celtics keep crashing from the corners.

The Reality

The Sixers have to win three straight to survive. Nobody expects that to happen against this Celtics team but if there’s any chance at all, it starts with Maxey and Edgecombe playing like their careers depend on it from the opening minute. Not the second half. Not the fourth quarter. The first possession.

Embiid did his job on Sunday. He came back from surgery, gave this team 26 and 10, and competed like the MVP-caliber player he is. The least his teammates can do is match that energy from the start instead of sleepwalking through the first half and letting the Celtics build a lead that’s impossible to erase.

Tuesday night in Boston. If Maxey takes three shots in another first half, the season is over before halftime. Play like it matters or go home.

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