Player Observations After Joel Embiid, Sixers Take Down Celtics

The Philadelphia 76ers desperately needed a win on Monday night. Exactly a week before their outing in Boston, the Sixers paid a visit to the Memphis Grizzlies.

The Philadelphia 76ers desperately needed a win on Monday night. Exactly a week before their outing in Boston, the Sixers paid a visit to the Memphis Grizzlies. After finding out that Seth Curry and Joel Embiid would be late scratches, the Sixers struggled to recover from their absences and took on an ugly loss.

When they returned to the court to face the short-handed Miami Heat on Wednesday, the Sixers once again took on a disappointing loss in a game they should've won. Then with no time to rest, the Sixers hit the road once again to face the Brooklyn Nets. Brooklyn star Kevin Durant proved to be too much for Philly as the Nets issued the Sixers their third-straight loss.

The 76ers were scheduled to return to the court on Sunday night, but their matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans was postponed by the league. As the Sixers had too many players on the injury report, they were unlikely to have at least eight players available to them at tip-off. Therefore, the league cut them some slack.

But the Sixers still had to hit the road on Sunday night and ship up to Boston. As they were set to face the Celtics once again, the Sixers had enough players to meet the NBA's minimum requirement. And so did the Celtics, who were also decimated by injuries and illnesses this week.

Lately, the Sixers have struggled to pick up wins after garnering their most impressive victory over the Golden State Warriors two Saturdays ago. So, Monday became a must-win outing for the Sixers, who were 15-15 going into the game.

Through the first half of action, the Sixers were in control of the Celtics as they led 51-49 through two quarters. However, a big third quarter by Boston made it seem as if the Sixers were running out of gas and on the path to a fourth-straight defeat.

But that's not how the game went. With a dominant fourth-quarter performance by Sixers center Joel Embiid, the Celtics dropped the ball and allowed the Sixers to find a way to get out in front. And when it was all said and done, the Sixers picked up their 16th win of the year by downing the Celtics 108-103. Now, let's observe the Sixers' individual player performances.

Sixers' Player Observations vs. Celtics

How did Joel Embiid and the Sixers do vs. Celtics?

Danny Green

This year, Danny Green's been up and down in terms of his production and his minutes. While going 2-8 from three and scoring eight points isn't anything to celebrate, Green did hit a big shot in crunch time. Again, he hasn't been fantastic so far this year, but Monday's performances was one of Green's better showings this season.

Tobias Harris

There have been a lot of games where Tobias Harris was expected to step up and produce more than he typically does since he's getting paid max money. Oftentimes this year, he's come up short. However, Monday night was not one of those games.

Checking in for 41 minutes of action, Harris was highly efficient from the field and knocked down seven of his 13 shots from the field. He drained all three of his deep jumpers. In total, Harris finished the night with 25 points.

Joel Embiid

There aren't many players in the NBA that are better than Joel Embiid when the big man's got it going. He proved that much once again on Monday night. Checking in for a lengthy 40-minute shift, Embiid gave the Celtics all he had on a sore ankle.

He led the Sixers in shots taken with 27 attempts. While he struggled from beyond the arc as he went 1-5, Embiid was nearly flawless from the free-throw line as he drained 12 of his 14 shots. In the fourth quarter alone, he produced 17 points for the Sixers.

Embiid's shot was crisp in crunch time, but his passing all night was impressive as well. In total, he wrapped up the game with 41 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, four blocked shots, and two steals. If Monday's matchup were to take place in Philly, attending fans would've indeed chanted MVP for last year's runner-up all night. 

Seth Curry

The veteran sharpshooter has been a hot hand for the Sixers this season. He can't be sharp on a nightly basis, but he's been quite consistent in the efficiency department this year and Curry was nearly flawless from the field in Boston.

Getting up 14 shots, Curry knocked down ten of his attempts. While he didn't let it rain from three, Curry did hit on all three of his shots from beyond the arc. 

He's not typically the Sixers' starting guard but Curry filled the void of Tyrese Maxey well as he came second in scoring for Philly with 26 points in 39 minutes. He also dished out seven assists. 

Matisse Thybulle

The defensive powerhouse's shift ended a little early on Monday night. As Thybulle was aggressive as always on the defensive end of the floor, he found himself getting popped for foul calls at a high rate.

After picking up one foul in the first quarter, and grabbing two more in the second quarter, Thybulle needed to be careful going into the second half. While he avoided picking up multiple fouls in the seven minutes he played in the third quarter, Thybulle's night ended after 32 minutes as he picked up two fouls in the fourth quarter, collecting his sixth.

Aside from the fouling, Thybulle had a decent outing. Defensively, he was a pest as he snatched three steals and blocked one shot. While he's not typically known to produce much on offense, Thybulle had a decent performance on that end as he put up seven points and hit a key three-pointer in crunch time. 

The Sixers' Bench

Isaiah Joe

The Sixers' starting lineup played well as a collective, even outside of the big three for the night. Philly's bench can't really say the same. Second-year guard Isaiah Joe was the only Sixer to score off of Philadelphia's bench on Monday. He finished the night with just one point. 

Charles Bassey

The rookie center has shown some solid flashes during his limited playing time this year. His Monday night performance wasn't all that impressive, though. Bassey wrapped up the night with three rebounds, one assist, four fouls, and a turnover in a little under eight minutes of action. 

Aaron Henry

The two-way rookie got his first notable amount of action on Monday as he picked up four minutes on the floor. He attempted just one shot during his limited action.

Myles Powell

The Trenton, New Jersey native made his NBA debut after inking a two-way deal with the Sixers on Sunday. He missed both of the shots he took during his eight minutes on the floor, but you have to cut the guy some slack considering he just made his G League season debut less than a week ago and is now picking up playing time off the bench for his dream team. 

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