Inside The Celtics

Here's What Stood Out in Celtics' Win vs. Sixers: Boston's Defense and Ball Movement Propel Hosts to Victory

On a night the Celtics were shorthanded, their supporting cast stepped up to help them clinch, at worst, a series tie with the Sixers this season.

Bobby Krivitsky

David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
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As if the task of facing Joel Embiid isn't challenging enough, the Celtics had to do so without starting big men Robert Williams and Al Horford on Wednesday.

Making matters more difficult, they lost a third starter, Jaylen Brown, late in the first half after he took an inadvertent elbow to the face from Jayson Tatum. The initial ruling is Brown suffered a facial contusion.

Despite being shorthanded, Boston played with tremendous energy at both ends of the floor.

The Celtics were active and attentive to detail defensively. Offensively, they assisted on 25 of 40 field goals, consistently creating high-quality shots and playing inside-out basketball.

After their 106-99 win, Joe Mazzulla stated, "I think just our overall approach and mindset at both ends of the floor were the difference-maker."

He went on to say being locked into the details instills confidence, something that was evident Wednesday.

Now, a deep dive into what stood out in each quarter of the Celtics' victory over their rivals from the City of Brotherly Love.

Blake Griffin Helps Propel Celtics' Offense in Low-Scoring First Frame

The Celtics dug themselves a 7-0 hole, largely thanks to playing carelessly offensively, as Jayson Tatum and Blake Griffin dribbled into the paint, pivoted to face the opposite basket, then lazily threw blind kick-out passes right to a member of the opposition.

But Boston surged back with an 8-0 run featuring Griffin burying a pair of threes and Derrick White surging his way to the cylinder for a layup. Then, Griffin gave the hosts their first lead of the night when he drilled a three from the left corner off baseline inbound.

When Grant Williams found Sam Hauser for a three from the right wing, it cut the Celtics' deficit to 25-24 with 1:30 left in the opening frame. It also represented the first points provided by Boston's second unit.

That helped the hosts close the quarter on an 8-2 run, including four points from Malcolm Brogdon, giving the Celtics a 30-27 edge after 12 minutes.

While Joel Embiid led all participants with 14 points, Griffin's trio of triples gave him a team-high nine points for Boston. And while the Sixers got six from Embiid's running mate, James Harden, Grant Williams contributed eight for the Celtics.

Both teams shot over 50 percent from the field, with the home team capitalizing on 57.9 percent of their attempts, including 6/10 threes. Philadelphia knocked down 52.4 percent of its field goals but went 2/8 (25 percent) from beyond the arc. That included Tobias Harris taking two threes but missing both despite being open each time.

But the Celtics have to take better care of the ball. Their five turnovers led to eight points for the visitors and helped the Sixers generate seven on the fast break.

Defense the Story as Boston Protects the Lead in the Second Quarter

The second quarter started with a bang for Boston, as Jaylen Brown, scoreless in the first period, lofted a lob to Luke Kornet, who threw down an alley-oop.

After a stop on the defensive end, Brogdon then buried a three, extending the Celtics' advantage to 35-27.

A few minutes later, White, continuing to play All-NBA-caliber defense, came from behind to block Montrezl Harrell at the rim. White also did well to stay in front of Harden shortly after that, resulting in a missed transition layup.

And with 6:25 left, White sparked an 8-0 run, drilling a three from the left wing off a feed from Tatum. The former then picked up the loose change after Grant Williams knocked the ball out of Embiid's hands, throwing it ahead to Brown for a layup, the latter's second field goal of the game.

The following time down the floor, it was Tatum's turn to demonstrate his long-range prowess, burying a three from above the break as De'Anthony Melton closed out to him, pushing Boston's lead to 47-35 with 5:23 left in the first half.

Less than two minutes later, Embiid collected the ball in the low post and powerfully swung through for a layup. Upset with the lack of a foul call -- and in the right about that -- the Sixers' star used at least one magic word, resulting in a technical. Philadelphia also got issued a delay of game violation.

With under 1:30 remaining, in a concerning moment, as Tatum grabbed an offensive rebound, he elbowed Brown in the face, sending the latter to the floor.

After leaving the game to get examined, the Celtics ruled out Brown for the rest of the contest due to a facial contusion.

The first half ended with Kornet denying Embiid at the rim as the latter attempted to drop the hammer with an emphatic one-handed flush. Embiid's frustration with the lack of another foul call was palpable.

Kornet's rim protection allowed Boston to take a 59-55 advantage into the locker room.

Embiid led all scorers with 19 points, despite his uncharacteristic lack of free-throw opportunities, only taking two and capitalizing on both.

Grant Williams paced the hosts with 11 points, while Tatum manufactured eight. The Celtics also got nine off the bench from Brogdon, helping their shorthanded second unit outscore the Sixers' bench 18-9.

And to Boston's credit, after committing five turnovers in the first frame, the hosts only had two in the second, limiting the visitors to two points off giveaways and two on fast-break opportunities.

Celtics Stay Hot from Three Thanks to Consistently Creating High-Quality Shots in Third Frame

With Brown out, Brogdon started the second half. He also broke the ice in the third quarter, knocking down a three on the first possession of the frame.

Three minutes into the frame, after the Sixers tied the game at 64, Griffin drilled a pair of threes from the corners, sandwiching them between a Tatum dunk as Boston produced a timely 8-0 run, earning an ovation from the TD Garden crowd.

On the heels of Harden ending that scoring burst with a step-back three, Tatum thwarted him at the rim.

With 2:20 left, Joe Mazzulla dialed up a Horns set, positioning Hauser and Tatum at the elbows. Running that set with that combination in those spots will consistently put defenses in a pretzel.

In this instance, it resulted in a path to the paint for Brogdon, who capitalized on a floater. That extended the hosts' lead to 80-75.

The third frame also saw Grant Williams show off his skills as a passer. First, he found Griffin for a right-corner three off a cross-court hook pass off the dribble. Then, he stopped on a dime, in control on the short roll, before spotting Hauser for a three from the same spot.

The second of those two assists by Williams, who also had 14 points at the time, gave the Celtics an 83-79 edge with a minute left in the period.

The quarter ended with Tatum delivering a kick-out pass to White for a three from the right wing, extending the advantage to 86-79 with 12 minutes to go.

Boston finished the frame 7/9 from beyond the arc and assisted on seven of ten field goals.

The Celtics consistently generated high-quality shots, attacking the defense and getting in and around the paint, which allowed them to play inside-out basketball, leading to in-rhythm opportunities.

Celtics Fend Off the Sixers in the Final Frame

In what could be his last game as a Celtic, Payton Pritchard received his first minutes of the night, starting to begin the fourth quarter.

There haven't been many instances of Brogdon finishing above the rim this season, but that's what transpired when he blew by his defender, who picked him up too far above the arc, got to the cylinder, and finished with a dunk that excited Boston's bench and the home crowd.

With under 8:30 remaining, TD Garden erupted as White recorded a chase-down block on Tobias Harris, leading to a Hauser three at the other end.

That sequence, worthy of a Tommy Point, gave the hosts a 95-85 advantage with 8:18 remaining.

Harris has been awful tonight. He's missed several open threes. He also has a plus-minus rating of minus-13, the lowest in the game.

After Harden cut Boston's lead to three, 98-95, on a baseline inbound under the Sixers hoop with 0.5 left on the shot clock, White tossed a lob to Kornet for a dunk that put the hosts ahead by five with 3:16 left.

In a moment that will be easier to gloss over if the Celtics hang on, after an Embiid airball from 17 feet, the officials switched their ruling from Boston's ball to granting Philadelphia possession. But Joe Mazzulla took a timeout to challenge the call. That proved successful, meaning the hosts got the ball and kept the timeout.

And with 36.1 seconds to play, Tatum delivered what felt like the dagger, knifing into the paint for a floater that gave the Celtics a 105-97 lead.

Embiid manufactured an opportunity for an old-school three-point play after that, but he couldn't convert at the free-throw line.

His missed foul shot sealed the Sixers' fate as Boston closed out a 106-99 victory.

Up Next

The Celtics host the Hornets on Friday. The game tips off at 7:30 pm EST. Inside The Celtics will have content related to the game coming out before, during, and afterward. And follow @BobbyKrivitsky on Twitter for updates and analysis from pregame to post.

Further Reading

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Nothing More Than a Rumor: The Celtics Should Not and Will Not Trade Jaylen Brown for Kevin Durant

Instant Reaction to Nets Trading Kyrie Irving to Mavericks, a Missed Opportunity for a Celtics' Rival

1:1 with Paul Pierce on What the Celtics-Lakers Rivalry Means to Him; Jayson Tatum's Growth, His Evaluation of Boston's Season, and More

A Potential Buyout Target and the Celtics are Reportedly Showing Mutual Interest

Celtics Reportedly Interested in Reunion with Kelly Olynyk

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Bobby Krivitsky
BOBBY KRIVITSKY

Bobby Krivitsky's experiences include covering the NBA as a credentialed reporter for Basketball Insiders. He's also a national sports talk host for SportsMap Radio, a network airing on 96 radio stations throughout the country. Additionally, he was a major-market host, update anchor, and producer for IMG Audio, and he worked for Bleacher Report as an NFL and NBA columnist.

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