BOSTON — The Celtics are officially on their first losing streak of the season. While the C’s showed life, they couldn’t make multiple comeback attempts in a 118-114 loss to the 76ers on Wednesday at TD Garden. The game was part of the NBA’s annual Christmas Day slate. The C’s dropped to 22-8 on the season while the Sixers improved to 11-17.
The Celtics were lethargic to start off the game, committing six turnovers in the first quarter alone. Their struggles resulted in a 16-point deficit as the crowd didn’t have much to get excited about early. But a strong finish — led by Jayson Tatum’s 11 points in the second quarter — allowed them to stay within striking distance, only down eight points by the break.
The third quarter was all Celtics immediately as they went on a 7-0 run after the break. Jaylen Brown had a brutal start to the game when he missed his first six shots and committed four turnovers. But he turned it around for the second half, pouring in 14 points in the third quarter alone.
While the C’s forced a tie game heading into the fourth quarter, that quickly changed as the Sixers went on a 21-6 run. The C’s did all that work to erase a huge deficit only to go cold to open the final frame. They got it down to two points at the end, but they were never able to overcome the Sixers from there. They had momentum with the Garden crowd coming alive, but they couldn’t complete the comeback.
Tatum had 32 points and 15 rebounds to lead the Celtics. Derrick White scored 21 points while Brown added another 23 points and seven rebounds. Joel Embiid had 27 points and nine rebounds for the Sixers. Tyrese Maxey added another 33 points and 12 assists as he was a consistent problem.
The Celtics face the Pacers at 7:30 p.m. Friday at TD Garden up next as part of a four-game homestand. Here are four takeaways from Boston’s loss to Philadelphia:
Unexpected absence: While Kristaps Porzingis played 13 minutes in the first half, he didn’t play in the second half Wednesday due to left ankle soreness. The big man wasn’t on the Celtics bench in the second half. He was initially marked as doubtful to return by the team in the third quarter. Porzingis is no stranger to bumps and minor injuries, though it’s unclear the severity of the ankle issue. The team is going to be cautious with their talented big man, but these issues pop up frequently.
Switch unflipped: The Sixers were an issue offensively throughout the first half as they scored 66 points on the Celtics. That seemingly changed in the third quarter as the Sixers scored just 16 points to allow the Celtics firmly back in the game. But the Sixers built up a 15-point lead in the fourth quarter, scoring 36 points in the frame. While the Celtics challenged them down the stretch, they couldn’t overcome too big deficits Wednesday.
Old foe: Celtics fans will remember ex-Heat forward Caleb Martin, who’s now with the 76ers. Much like he did in the 2023 East Finals, Martin gave the Celtics fits. Even though his shot looks wonky, he kept punishing the C’s for leaving him open. Martin came into Wednesday’s game shooting 30.5% from 3 on the season — he made 7-for-9 of his 3s against the Celtics. He finished with 23 points as he was a huge part of the Sixers’ efforts in the fourth quarter, scoring 12 points in the final frame.
Full strength: While the Sixers struggled to start the season at 3-14, a big reason why was due to injuries. Wednesday was more of what Philadelphia was expected to look like with its full roster of capable players. Embiid looked like his MVP self as he was an offensive force, shooting 8-for-15, while the Celtics had trouble guarding Maxey. The two stars combined for 60 points. Paul George didn’t make as much of an impact as he had 12 points on 4-for-15 shooting. Regardless, talent isn’t the issue for the Sixers — it’s availability.
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