Joel Embiid Claims Sixers ‘Relaxed’ With Big Lead vs. Celtics

Sixers center Joel Embiid explains his team's late-game struggles against the Celtics.

Coming off of an impressive comeback victory against the Memphis Grizzlies on Thursday night, the Philadelphia 76ers know very well the game isn’t over until there are zeros across the clock.

Although they trailed Memphis by 17 points on Thursday, the Sixers rallied back in the second half and collected a five-point victory. On Saturday, one team rallied back from a 15-point deficit to win the game, but it was the Sixers who found themselves on the wrong end of it this time around.

In the first quarter, the Sixers led by as many as nine points. While the Celtics battled back after Philadelphia got off to a quick start, the Sixers led 56-50 at halftime. In the opening minutes of the third quarter, the Sixers extended their six-point lead to 15 points. 

But it was only a matter of time before the Celtics climbed back and stole the lead, entering the fourth quarter out in front by one possession.

“We relaxed,” Sixers center Joel Embiid admitted. “We gave Al (Horford), he made a couple of huge threes. (Jayson) Tatum got a little bit going in that third quarter too. Before that, he was not very good.”

In the first half, the Sixers held Tatum to just four points in 19 minutes. Al Horford, who checked in for 16 minutes, didn’t make any of his shots from the field. Suddenly, the two were vital to a third-quarter rally for Boston. 

Horford dropped 12 points in the third quarter, making four shots from beyond the arc. Between the third and fourth quarters, Tatum scored 15 points, knocking down five of his 11 shots in 17 minutes.  

“Being up 15, I felt like we just relaxed,” Embiid finished. “I mean, I was on the floor with the guys that were on the floor. We were not as clinical as we were before that period of time. Like I said, it’s all of us. We just got to be better.”

The Sixers and the Celtics went down to the wire on Saturday night. While Philadelphia controlled the matchup for most of the night, Boston’s second-half rally stunned the Sixers. And thanks to a tough contested three-point make from Tatum in the game's final seconds, the Celtics defeated the 76ers 110-107. 

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.