2022-2023 POST GAME PHILLY 76'ERS - AWAY

Celtics Wrap: Jayson Tatum Denies Joel Embiid With Game-Winner
Al Horford and Derrick White were pivotal Saturday night


NESN by Jason Ounpraseuth

The Boston Celtics pushed past the Philadelphia 76ers, xxx-xxx, at Wells Fargo Center on Saturday.

The Celtics improved to 44-17 on the season, and the 76ers fell to 39-20.

ONE BIG TAKEAWAY
Joel Embiid appeared to choose Saturday night to build his MVP case. The star center led all players with xx points, and despite the Celtics rallying in the second half with a 23-3 run, Embiid kept the 76ers in the game. Boston had very few answers to stop the Philadelphia star, except hope he missed.

However, the Celtics relied on a full team effort. Al Horford helped lead that 23-3 run through his sharpshooting from the 3-point line, and Derrick White was consistent off the bench. Jaylen Brown did his best to keep pace with Embiid, and Jayson Tatum came through with key plays down the stretch.

Ultimately, the game came down to crunch down, and Embiid hit two free throws to tie the game at 2017 with 10.8 seconds left. Despite a lackluster performance, Tatum was there to hit the game-winning 3-pointer over De’Anthony Melton with two seconds left. There was a slight scare for Boston fans when Embiid threw up a long heave that went in. However, he knew the shot went up well after the final buzzer.

STARS OF THE GAME
— Embiid scored 41 ponts, grabbed 12 rebounds and dished out five assists in the losing effort. He shot 17-of-18 from the free-throw line, which was more than the entire Celtics team combined, who went 8-of-12 from the line.

— Brown scored 26 points on 10-of-21 shooting. He added in four rebounds, three assists and three steals.

— Tatum wasn’t the most consistent performer for the Celtics on Saturday, but he continues to be their most clutch. He finished the night with 18 points, 13 rebounds and six assists.

WAGER WATCH
Tatum had +165 odds to record a double-double at DraftKings Sportsbook. This meant a $100 bet would have paid out $265.


UP NEXT
The Celtics close out their three-game road trip in New York to take on the Knicks. Tipoff from Madison Square Garden is scheduled at 7:30 p.m. ET.

112288

Great win. Just how good is Derrick White!

We need to figure out the identity of the starting 5. They have hardly played together this year. They need to figure it out soon.

I wonder if they are going to sign another big man. Al is more of a PF than center and at 6'9 we need another big with size off the bench in case of foul trouble with Al or Rob. Again, someone who is a rim protector.

112288

I read the article posted by 112288 by Jason Ounpraseuth.  Pretty funny stuff.  "The star center led all players with xx points"  Well, there it is folks.  If Embiid had scored xxx points instead of just xx they'd have won.  Proof-reading, it's not just for amateurs anymore.

35-12 ftas differential.  Even if you took half of Embiid's ridiculous 18 ftas out of it that's still a 27-12 difference.  BS.

We won by taking 8 more fgas and hitting 7 more 3pt fgas.  There's 21 more points right there.  

3 Sixers in double-digits: Embiid with 41, Harden with 21 and Harris with 19.  We had 6:  Our entire starting 5 plus Derrick.  Derrick is really, really coming into his own.  He played great in the week or two Smart was out with his ankle and has been playing great now that Smart's back.  Having players that can move from the starting lineup to the bench and back again without a drop off in production is a luxury.  Sam played well as a starter but is up-and-down on the bench.  DWhite just goes out there and does his thing regardless.  I know Payton's miffed because he thinks he should have moved up in the depth chart and didn't because Brad traded for Derrick but you can't argue with success.

27-12.  Our bench vs theirs.  Last year it would have been reversed.  Good job shoring up our weakness, Brad.

Its reassuring that we went down 15 points with 8 left in the 3rd, but were able to claw our way back.  Please don't do that again, once was plenty.  We were up 10 with 7 minutes left in the game but let them take a lead with 1:51 left.  That's an 11 point swing in 6 minutes and that is not reassuring.

Fast break points 25-17.  I know they had to trade Simmons because he wasn't going to play for them no matter what but they did not become a faster team with Harden.  He looks old out there.  Jaylen was killing them running the floor.  As long as we have one of the Js, and everybody else is doing their jobs, we have a good chance.

50-40 Points In The Paint.  Embiid and all we still got inside more than them.

I'm amending this post because I forgot to mention Jaylen. He was hot early to keep us close and then broke their hearts with multiple leak outs for fast breaks.







https://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore/_/gameId/401469063


Bob


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Game ball clearly goes to Al with his very timely 3-point barrage in the 3rd quarter plus one in the fourth. Great to have a guy like that with all his experience realizing the lazy Embiid has to stay out of foul trouble, hugs the lane and won't come out to guard your scoring 3-point threat big. Come on, Doc. You're a better coach than that. Doc did eventually switch but it was too late.

Here's what I saw. Our counter-culture SIASJ did it again. From what I saw, PHI sets up their all game plans thinking every team is going to double Embiid the whole game to get the ball out of his hands as to reduce his scoring and let the other players beat us.

The bad news with this philosophy vs. Boston is all our players are pretty darn good defenders, some better than others. But regardless, they can hold their own straight up. Celtics coach took a page out the the 60's and 70's Celtics with Wilt. Wilt wanted the glamor, the numbers, the recognition. Russell did as great as any one defender could do against him but Russ took on Wilt head to head. Russ always believed Wilt could have the numbers, but Boston was going to win the game. And as a result of that kind of thinking, Wilt gets 2, Russell gets 11.

SIASJ let our guys defend or switch to guard Embiid one-on-one. Yes, there was selected cursory doubles down the stretch almost when it seemed convenient but that was really about it.

I'm not even worried about how quickly leads disappear. This game was a perfect case in point. Leads in the teens aren't safe for if a guy like Horford can hit three 3's in a row, the game is nearly tied. Same goes for us the other way losing a double digit lead.

We've seen this movie before. The point is we know not to be rattled by it. I'm going to say some of that confidence comes from the TO's not being called to bail us out as others here will differ. But it's helping to say the least. This team now knows what they are doing and whether they know it or not, the confidence they display and the words they saying show that no matter what circumstance, we are winning the game at hand.

EVERY team from here on out is going to give us their best game. Period. Nothing surprising there.

Something worth noting on these win streaks. PHI's 5-games were all against +.500 except HOU. MIL 13-game streak is made up of 7 sub .500 teams. We were one of the victims in OT. I'm pushing all-in that around 3:45EST today MIL's streak is over, even sans Durant which it looks like he's finally going to show up to play in Charlotte on 3/1.

LAL vs. DAL should be entertaining following PHX vs. MIL. Is it possible for both LAL and DAL to lose today? That would make the perfect weekend!!

db

No matter what way you look at this game, Our team is just better than them! How many free throws would they have given Embid in OT??? Just enough to win the game. I know, let it go, but I find it disgusting. Look at that cheap foul they called on Jaylen in the first quarter to give him two fouls right away. That 280 lb player falling to the ground like he was hit by an elephant! give me a break. Anyway, let it be said how smart a game Jaylen played from there on, not getting his 3rd foul until the fourth quarter. I wonder if Mark Jackson noticed that? We are so good when we play together, although I am a bit concerned about Tatum's wrist. Hopefully there is some treatment he can get to help reduce the discomfort he obviously is feeling when shooting the ball. although he didn't feel it on that last play. These are the dog days of the season, as long as they come out on the winning end, a few tough games are good for them. Thank God that shot did not count. Listening to Embid after the game made me laugh....oh whoa is me

Agree with Bob that Harden does look old and going against our wave of wing defenders all younger than him doesn’t help his cause. We are lethal defensively on points and wings. I have to give Embid credit, he has really improved his mid range game and is putting up MVP numbers, what a shame Harden is no longer a 30 ppg scorer anymore. Doc weakening his team putting Maxey on the bench, but don’t tell anyone. They need 20-25 from this kid every game.

Derrick White has been so good lately, playing like an all star, we score so much easier with him on the floor. Brogdon has been equally great too and if you believe in riding the hot hand, we could have won much more easily with more minutes from those two. Tatum was why it was too close alot of the game. When he’s off, goes thru terrible turnover stretches too that would kill us if we didn’t have so much depth and another nuclear superstar in Jaylen. Jaylen took over both ends in building 10 point lead in 4th, an absolute stud finishing/bullying right on Embid and stealing it from him. Then as soon as Brogdon and White went out offense got stagnant and no easy baskets. Playoff defenses are going to key on Tatum and he and Joe better figure out better and faster on what to do.

Guess it’s a good problem to have, finding more minutes for worthy players that play the right way. We are a match up nightmare for Philly and they know it, we can play a lot better, game should not have been that close.

What a great win!!! Got to credit Joe with drawing up a terrific final shot. Also a great pass by Marcus to set up JT. I have to echo some previous comments. It is frustrating how many times Embiid gets to the line. He gets every call and flails all over the place. Without Embiid it is mismatch, we are so much better. Kudos to Derrick White again, he's just playing terrific ball. What can you say about Al? When things looked bleak he brought us back. Gotta luv the guy, a true Celtic!! Jaylen was just great. It's not easy to play with that mask, and he was everywhere.

This one turned into another nailbiter.

That makes 3 straight over the Sixers.  It is another indication to me that they cannot beat Boston.

Hats off to old man Al Horford.  Those 3 pointers that he made were the same shots that he had missed earlier in the game.  He put us back on the path to winning this game.

Jaylen Brown was very good as was Derrick White.  Derrick has averaged 20.4 PPG in February and he is shooting lights out.  He is also doing s great job running the offense (5.8 assists, not turning the ball over 1.3 TOV and hitting the glass 4.4 rebounds.)

RW showed us a few things like taking and making that base line jumper with the shot clock running down and the impressive runout and dunk after receiving a perfect pass from JB.  RW was flying up and down the court.  He also went 7-7 from the field and 3 of his 8 rebounds came on the offensive glass.  I have been a bit concerned about him but last night he played 31 productive minutes and he looked very fluid.

Grant Williams continues to argue about every call.  Did you see RW push him away.  Grant is not playing well on offense this month.  He is struggling to knock down open looks.  (1-5 from deep)  He continues to trend in the wrong direction (Dec 9.4 PPG, Jan 8.8 PPG and Feb 6.5 PPG)  I sure hope that he can find his stroke.

Other observations:

Marcus was called for 2 blocking fouls.  The 1st one was clearly a charge by PJ who literally ran over Marcus.  Marcus had perfect defensive positioning for at least a 2 count.  I was sure that CJ would challenge the call.  The 2nd one involved Embid bulldozing himself into Marcus twice.  

You get one challenge per game and I have yet to see a game where that one challenge should not be used.  SIASJ should have definitely challenged the PJ charge.

Who is going to finish the game for us?  

It seems that CJ is still trying to figure that out but from what transpired last night an argument could be made that White should have been in there along with RW and Grant should have been on the bench.  The White and Brogdon options would upset the apple cart from the preferred closing group.  If they went to a single big lineup to close out the games they could get White in there.  I am leaning towards having RW in there.

Marcus had a poor offensive game last night but he played hard defense and made the difficult pass to Tatum for what began the game winning shot.  

Now that we have a full and healthy roster (except for DG) the challenge for CJ is to figure out how to use all of these options.

Last night Hauser only played 2 minutes.  In 10 games this month Hauser is averaging 9.7 PPG on 51% shooting from deep.  Grant who has been trending in the wrong direction for 2 months plays 29 minutes and scores 4 points and Hauser does not play.  

In a game where 2 of your starters are struggling to make buckets, you have to go to your bench to find production.  I would like to think that Sam Hauser is a player that deserved more than a 2 minute cameo appearance.  

The Celtics have won 8 out of 10 as they continue to hold the top spot in the NBA.

As our starters finally get a chance for more reps together, I expect to see the Celtics take flight.

The win last night had the makings of a playoff game!

We have not seen Muscala play in the last few games and Blake has also been glued to the bench.  

I think that CJ is trying to determine who his top 8 or 9 guys are.

Dboss

GWill is our most physical defender, not necessarily the best; but we need him to push on the bigs ala Paul Silas/Wes Unseld. We need that physical presence against the Giannis’s and Zion, last night he did good work being physical with Embid. The best line up by my eye test last night was White Brogdon Jaylen GWill RWill. We do have alot of further flexible line ups to experiment with, I loved how the Moose looked next to Al and RWill before the all star game too.

Embid was unstoppable last night.  He can shoot over defenders or pick up fouls.  

The only way to slow him down is early help defense.

It seems Boston was willing to let Embid do his thing while concentrating on everyone.

It would be a stretch to suggest that anyone including Grant did a good job on embid.

Grant needs to make those ooen looks. He badly missed two 3 pointers late in the 4th with the game on the line.

Celtics17 wrote:What a great win!!! Got to credit Joe with drawing up a terrific final shot. Also a great pass by Marcus to set up JT. I have to echo some previous comments. It is frustrating how many times Embiid gets to the line. He gets every call and flails all over the place. Without Embiid it is mismatch, we are so much better.  Kudos to Derrick White again, he's just playing terrific ball. What can you say about Al? When things looked bleak he brought us back. Gotta luv the guy, a true Celtic!! Jaylen was just great. It's not easy to play with that mask, and he was everywhere.

17,

I saw, in Joe's post-game presser, that he said he stole that last play from Brad. I thought it looked familiar.


Bob


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dboss,

1st and 2nd sentence.  So was Wilt.  Didn't Red let Wilt roam constantly under the watchful eye of BR and our guys played him straight up?  Our defense was and is so good, we basically say we'll take your best one-on-one.  PHI played Saturday like they were expecting Embiid to be doubled all the time.  Score 40, 50, 60.  It doesn't matter.  Check the final score.  Which to you want?  

Banner Score?  17 to whatever and no more than 6.  Pick you poison.  
 
db

dbrown4 wrote:dboss,

1st and 2nd sentence.  So was Wilt.  Didn't Red let Wilt roam constantly under the watchful eye of BR and our guys played him straight up?  Our defense was and is so good, we basically say we'll take your best one-on-one.  PHI played Saturday like they were expecting Embiid to be doubled all the time.  Score 40, 50, 60.  It doesn't matter.  Check the final score.  Which to you want?  

Banner Score?  17 to whatever and no more than 6.  Pick you poison.  
 
db

db

I have no idea what you are saying here..

Yeah, perhaps I pushed send too quickly!! Sorry about that.

Embiid can score all the points he wants. We can still defend him pretty well even with the refs giving him every call. We'll take the victories. Wilt, another PHI big we played pretty well against, played for the numbers. He got the scoring and rebound numbers. Celtics won the games. Wilt won the battles, lost darn near all the wars against us. Embiid seems to fall in the same trap.

For PHI vs. BOS for overall banners, it's 17-1. Score all you want Embiid. Looks like your franchise still hasn't learned the lesson.

db

dbrown4 wrote:Yeah, perhaps I pushed send too quickly!!  Sorry about that.  

Embiid can score all the points he wants.  We can still defend him pretty well even with the refs giving him every call.  We'll take the victories.  Wilt, another PHI big we played pretty well against, played for the numbers.  He got the scoring and rebound numbers.  Celtics won the games.  Wilt won the battles, lost darn near all the wars against us.  Embiid seems to fall in the same trap.    

For PHI vs. BOS for overall banners, it's 17-1.  Score all you want Embiid.  Looks like your franchise still hasn't learned the lesson.  

db

Got it and yes I agree with you.