Embid-Less Sixers Stun Celtics Behind 45 Points From Harden
Hey Boston, how do you like those apples? The Sixers came into the night 10.5-point underdogs. They had no Joel Embiid. The Celtics were at full strength. Yet when the clock hit 0.00, it was the Sixers who had the lead. They took game 1, 119-115, in front of a stunned Boston crowd. Thanks in large part to a 45-point night by James Harden. A new career high in the playoffs.
James Harden has put up some great performances. But willing the Sixers to a win over the heavily favorited Boston Celtics may be up there with one of the best we have ever seen. 7-14 from deep. 17-30 in total from the field. Including the 3 that would go on to be the game-winner with 8.1 seconds left on the clock. Harden was on another level. The Celtics had no answer for him. 15 of his points came in that 4th quarter that helped the Sixers swing the game back into their favor.
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JAMES HARDEN FROM DEEP 😱
— NBA (@NBA) May 2, 2023
HE HAS 45 PTS. SIXERS LEAD 117-115.
8 SECONDS LEFT ON TNT pic.twitter.com/qWu1dmMhkg
Harden took a lot of heat for his shooting struggles vs the Nets. he was mostly good from deep in those 4 games. But on drives and mid-range jump shots, he was missing a ton. It seems the rest made a ton of difference for the 33-year-old point guard.
“The guy’s a Hall-of-Famer, and you only hear all of the other stuff about him. We wanted the ball in James’ hands.”- Doc Rivers on James Harden in his post-game press conference.
The first half was ugly on defense, for both sides. The Celtics got to the rim at will. 40 pints in the pain in the first half. But that turned into just 8 in the 3rd quarter and 18 in the 4th. Doc switched to the matchup zone. While the defense was by no means perfect the rest of the way, it made them far more effective. Boston no longer had the wide-open paths to the rim. And outside Tatum and Brown, the other Celtics struggled from deep.
Also notable, Paul Reed going 4-4 from the FT line in the waning moments of the game. It was not a perfect game for the Sixers’ young Center. The Celtics success in the paint in that first half had a lot to do with him. But he stepped up near the end of the game, played better defense, and got some clutch points when they needed it.
The Sixers now get to take a 1-0 series lead into Wednesday Night’s game in the Garden. It is not yet clear if Joel Embiid will be back on the floor. But as we learned tonight, they can beat this Celtics team without him. Especially if Harden is going to return to being the Rockets’ version of Harden.
7 Things to know about this Celtics-76ers series
Embiid Is Hurt
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA – APRIL 04: Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers shoots over Al Horford #42 of the Boston Celtics during the second quarter at Wells Fargo Center on April 04, 2023 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)
The latest with Embiid from NBA insider Shams Charania is that Embiid is doubtful for Game 1 and is going to need a “miracle” in order to play. Charania doesn’t seem to be ruling that out, but says it would be a “miracle” if he did play Monday night at TD Garden.
Embiid was diagnosed with an LCL sprain in his right knee back on April 21. Charania reported that he underwent platelet-rich plasma (PRP) treatment last week, and his LCL injury is of the “pretty serious” variety. Embiid has a history of playing through injuries, so it’s likely he tries to gut it out at some point. But it’s not looking good for him to start the series. James Harden (25.5 points/game against Boston) takes over the clear No. 1 scoring duties.
Jayson Tatum Has Struggled Against Philly
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA – APRIL 04: James Harden #1 of the Philadelphia 76ers guards Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics during the second quarter at Wells Fargo Center on April 04, 2023 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)
Jayson Tatum may be going into this series feeling like he has something to prove. Because he averaged the fewest points per game (21.0) of any opponent when he played the 76ers.
Tatum scored 35 points in the season opener against Philly, then averaged 16.3 points over the last three matchups in the regular season. He shot just 6-for-21 from three-point range (28.6 percent) in those three subpar games.
He did, however, have one of the most clutch moments of the Celtics’ season so far when he drained a go-ahead three with 1.3 seconds left in a win over the 76ers on Feb. 25. It’ll be interesting to see how Tatum performs against this particular opponent, both overall and in crunch time.
They’re Even In Terms Of Turnovers
Feb 15, 2022; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey (0) and Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart (36) chase a loose ball during the first quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
The Celtics have the edge in terms of turnovers, but it’s a slight one. Boston committed 12.0 turnovers per 100 plays in the regular season, compared to 12.6 for Philadelphia. But the 76ers also forced more turnovers than the Celtics in the regular season (7.9 steals per 100 possessions vs 6.4).
Perhaps we see a close game (or seven) that come down to a key turnover here and there. The series result could be as simple as the more disciplined team.
A Big Advantage?
Apr 4, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Boston Celtics center Al Horford (42) drives against Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) during the second quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
If and when Embiid is out of the lineup for the 76ers, the series becomes a much harder hill to climb for them – and a much easier matchup for the Celtics’ bigs. Al Horford averaged just 10.1 points on 39.3 percent shooting and 5.7 rebounds against the Sixers in the regular season. Robert Williams scored 14 points and eight rebounds in his lone game against Philly, but in that game, Williams and Horford combined for 29 and 12 while Embiid went off for 41 and 12.
The Celtics have a huge opportunity to take advantage of the paint if Embiid isn’t on the floor.
White, Maxey Are Your X-Factors
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA – APRIL 04: Derrick White #9 of the Boston Celtics shoots over Tyrese Maxey #0 and James Harden #1 of the Philadelphia 76ers during the second quarter at Wells Fargo Center on April 04, 2023 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)
Maxey continues to elevate his game. He averaged 21.8 points in the Sixers’ first-round sweep of the Nets, after putting up a career-best 20.3 points per game in the regular season. He didn’t shoot well in an Embiid-less Game 4 (6-for-20, 30 percent), but he’ll continue to be counted on as a top-2 scoring option in the big man’s absence.
White, meanwhile, is off to the best start of his playoff career, after posting 17.3 points with shooting percentages of .557/.457/.909 in a starting role during the first round against the Hawks. He and Maxey are the players to watch the closest that aren’t the household names.
Coaching Experience
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – OCTOBER 18: Philadelphia 76ers head coach Doc Rivers directs his team during the first half of the game against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden on October 18, 2022 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
Celtics first-year head coach Joe Mazzulla had a shaky first round in his own right, while Doc Rivers certainly has his own place in Celtics history with a championship in 2008. But despite Rivers’ steep edge in actual experience, his teams have become better known for playoff collapses in recent years, including the Sixers losing three out of their last four games in a 2021 series loss to the Hawks.
It’s likely both teams and coaches feel shaky at certain points in this series. But Rivers may not have the advantage over Mazzulla that Philly hopes he would have.
