PHILADELPHIA—It was another hotly contested matchup between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Boston Celtics on Wednesday night. Playing the second game of a back-to-back is always difficult and for the Sixers, it was a far from ideal way to come into a divisional matchup, but nothing comes easy in the NBA.
The signs of sluggishness were apparent early on as the Sixers allowed Boston to blow the game open in the first quarter, down 15 after just one. While the team responded tenaciously in the second quarter, the team proved they just didn’t have the legs tonight as they fell by a final score of 107-117.
Here’s what stood out from the game:
A game of matchups
More than anything, the inefficiency of Sixers star Joel Embiid stood out. Shortly before the game, it was announced that Celtics big man Kristaps Porzingis would miss Wednesday’s game. It wouldn’t be right to suggest that Porzingis missing the game was an advantage for Boston. However, what is clear is that the team is better suited against a Joel Embiid-specific lineup without him.
Without their offseason acquisition, Boston’s big man group was led by Al Horford, who has long been a thorn in Embiid’s side—even when the two were teammates.
Horford was able to stretch the floor, drawing Embiid out to the perimeter and away from the rim which would have been effective enough on its own, except that Embiid would consistently get lost in an effective no man’s land between the rim and the arc.
While he has proven capable of defending on the perimeter at times, Embiid more often has done is in on-ball situations. Off-ball, Embiid has a tendency to sag off defenders, something you can’t do against Horford, and tonight was no different. His energy level, or lack thereof, certainly didn’t improve the situation.
Embiid looked sluggish enough against the Pacers in Tuesday night’s game. A second game in as many nights was not going to change that.
While it’s not the sole reason for the Sixers’ loss, Boston’s ability to force Embiid into uncomfortable defensive situations played a major role.
Jaden Springer steps up for Sixers
The Sixers had a clear need for athleticism and defensive ability minus both Kelly Oubre and Nic Batum. With that problem clearly rearing its ugly head, head coach Nick Nurse turned to Jaden Springer in an attempt to change the flow of the game. And change the game he did.
Springer made an instant impact sinking a three, swiping a ball, and finishing with a flush on the other end all within a minute. Springer finished the game with a team-high +20 in 20 minutes of work. It was also Springer’s most effective game from an offensive standpoint, scoring nine points on 4-5 shooting.
Much of his offensive game was predicated on his defensive ability, but that’s not exactly an issue. In fact, that ability to turn defense into offense is a large part of the case that he should be a more consistent part of the Sixers’ rotation.
As seen by his strip steal and flashy flush on the other end?
Death comes in threes
A major difference between the two teams in this game was the amount of three-point shots taken. The difference between the two teams was 20 attempts, while the difference in made threes was seven in favor of Boston.
Dating back to last season, the Sixers have not been known as a team to attack from beyond the arc. While they did lead the league in three-point percentage last season, Philadelphia ranked just 16th in attempted threes. This season, the team has dipped down to just outside the top ten, but the real story is that they have fallen all the way down to 29th in attempts per game.
The eventual return of Kelly Oubre and Nic Batum will help with that, but the Sixers have plenty of other capable shooters who simply have not attacked their opponents from deep. Nick Nurse has been vocal about Tobias Harris, in particular, being more aggressive from three, but there are plenty of other Sixers who could stand to take the same advice—including Joel Embiid.
The Sixers will next face the Hawks on Friday, Nov. 17, in Atlanta for their third game of the NBA’s In-Season Tournament. Tip-off is at 7:30 as the Sixers will look to get back in the win column.
