76ers Battle Hard In Christmas Thriller, But Fade Late To Celtics

PHILADELPHIA, PA — The 76ers looked like a championship team at times in their Christmas Day battle against the Boston Celtics, but it wasn't quite enough.

Joel Embiid threw down 34 points and 16 rebounds in what has become a typical monster performance for the All-World big man. Ben Simmons was two assists away from a triple-double. Jimmy Butler added 24 points, Wilson Chandler another 15, including a clutch three-pointer. The team roared back from a significant early deficit.

But the Celtics proved to be just too much, answering the Sixers at every turn. The teams stayed within a few points of each other during a riotous back and forth fourth quarter that evoked the best of the 2018 Eastern Conference semifinals.

And just like the semifinals, it was the Celtics that ultimately got the upper hand. The Sixers were at one point up by five in overtime with just over three minutes to go, but a series of threes by Boston finally put it out of reach.

The Celtics were aided by a career game from Kyrie Irving, who scored 40 while adding 10 rebounds. Jaysun Tatum and Marcus Morris added 23 apiece for the victors.

Despite the loss, the Sixers remain a full game ahead of the Celtics, and just three back of the Raptors in a competitive East where the top five teams are separated by only four games (a parity mirrored in the West, where the top eight seeds are separated by four games). Despite their position in 4th place, they remain separated from the top teams in the game like the Nuggets, Warriors, and Raptors, by just a handful of games.

Next up for the Sixers is a matchup with Donovan Mitchell and the Jazz Thursday night in Utah.

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