The Philadelphia 76ers are still trying to push for the NBA Playoffs by running out healthy lineups instead of tanking to save their top-six protected draft pick. Unfortunately, even when the 76ers are trying to compete this season, they don’t stand a chance, as seen by their 104-124 loss to the Boston Celtics at home tonight.
The Celtics were led by a red-hot night from backup guard Payton Pritchard who scored 28 points (10-18 FG). Jaylen Brown was the only starter to score 20 points (7-13 FG) with six rebounds and six assists. Kristaps Porzingis put up 17 points (5-11 FG) while Derrick White had 16 points (5-10 FG) and 10 rebounds. Jayson Tatum had a triple-double with 15 points (5-13 FG), 11 rebounds, and 10 assists.
No player on the 76ers scored more than 20 points, with their highest scorer being Paul George with 17 points (7-14 FG). Tyrese Maxey had 16 points (6-10 FG) and seven assists while Kelly Oubre Jr. also had 16 points (6-14 FG). Joel Embiid had a disappointing 15 points (3-9 FG) while new acquisition Quentin Grimes had 12 points (5-12 FG) and seven rebounds.
Let’s take a deeper look at this game and analyze the major takeaways.
Philadelphia’s Offense Completely Collapsed
The 76ers’ offensive efforts were ineffective in their loss to the Celtics. It’s important to remember that their big three— Embiid, Maxey, and George —were fully healthy and participated in this contest. However, even their presence couldn’t fix an ailing team offense that was ice-cold from the start of the game tonight.
The 76ers shot 40-93 (43.0 FG%) from the field while going a dreadful 8-39 (20.5 3P%) from three. Their shot attempts seem to be forced on almost every possession. While the Celtics’ defense deserves credit for executing their game plan, we need to criticize the 76ers for seemingly not trying anything new to break through against their rivals who they beat on Christmas.
It’s hard to pinpoint this as a coach or personnel issue, so it likely is a mix of both. The players looked half as engaged as their opponents, throwing up lazy shots and not working on possessions to improve their shot quality either. It was a lethargic showing by Philly on their homecourt against their rivals who are also defending champions.
Celtics Team Is Complete
We have to give the Celtics credit for executing this win as perfectly as possible. It is a huge compliment to their overall roster’s potency, as they went 43-89 from the field and 24-54 from three. This was a nearly effortless outing from the Celtics, as their defensive setup already stifled the 76ers while their free-moving offense was hitting on all cylinders.
People joke about Jayson Tatum being one of the highest quality role-players in the NBA while knowing he’s a perennial All-NBA First Team candidate. But those same tendencies which make people joke about him being a role player help the Celtics dominate opponents, with Tatum willing to perform any role required on both ends of the court.
The fact that the Celtics’ sixth man can come in and nearly score 30 points without much effort like Pritchard did tonight further shows how scary this franchise can be. They might not be the No. 1 seed in the Conference, but they are definitely still the leading contenders to bring home the Larry O’Brien trophy.
76ers Need To Tank
There is no point in the Philadelphia 76ers trying to see this season out in the Playoffs. This was their sixth loss in a row, dropping their record to 20-35. This is not a good team and it should be clear to all the relevant stakeholders. However, they will continue citing all the injury issues they’ve had as the primary reason for this season.
Now that they’re technically healthy, they will push to get into the Play-In and reach the Playoffs for a potential miracle run. There is no universe where the 76ers, as currently constructed, even win a first-round matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers or the Celtics, their likeliest first-round opponents if they manage to sneak in.
Their first-round pick is top-six protected in a stacked class. They need to just give Embiid, George, and Maxey the last 17 games of the season off and try to lose every single game to keep their pick in their own control. If not, this team’s future will be extremely bleak with two injury-prone stars on max contract and one streaky point guard.
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