Turning Point? Sixers Stun Celtics on NBA Christmas Day
What could go wrong went wrong for the Philadelphia 76ers during a 3-14 start to the 2024-25 season. Could an upset victory over the Boston Celtics on NBA Christmas Day turn the tides?
Joel Embiid has played only nine games this season. Heralded free agent acquisition Paul George hasn’t been available enough to carry the team through their superstar’s absence.
The Sixers, however, escaped TD Garden with their biggest win on the NBA’s grandest regular-season stage when the basketball world didn’t believe in them.
They’ve won eight of their past 11 games, and star players rounding into form give the Philadelphia fans more reason to be optimistic than they’ve seen at any point through a brutal start to the season.
76ers Beat Celtics 118-114
The defending champions walked onto their home court with a 22-7 record. The heavily-favored Celtics were an obvious choice for the 5pm prime time slot on the East coast, but the (debatable) rival Sixers probably weren’t the marquee opponent that most NBA fans wanted in the league’s top showcase.
Embiid took a bad fall during pregame warmups, but he still started alongside George, a rarity this season. It wasn’t the two most accomplished superstars who spearheaded the upset win in limited minutes, however.
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Tyrese Maxey didn’t fixate on the tv cameras or the history of the NBA Christmas Day games. He shot 12-23 for 33 points. He added 12 assists in a Sixers victory that stunned a rowdy Boston crowd.
Caleb Martin drained a career high seven three-pointers. His clutch shots in the fourth quarter with Embiid and George on the bench fought off the Celtics from what seemed like a run that could overpower the early Philadelphia lead.
Joel Embiid & Paul George
Embiid and George both sat over six minutes to begin the fourth quarter. George struggled and finished 4-15 from the floor.
Embiid scored 27, but he only played 31 minutes. Celtics veteran Al Horford contained him from taking the game over. The awkward mishap in warmups didn’t keep the former MVP off the floor for the biggest regular-season game on the schedule, and just his presence on the floor sparks positivity for the team.
The thought that the Sixers would beat the Celtics in Boston in a league showcase game with Embiid and George in limited roles might’ve seemed impossible if you asked a Sixers fan on Christmas Eve.
However, Philadelphia opened its Christmas present after a tough stretch to start the season.
A Sixers season that’s looked bleak and, at times, completely hopeless, just got a major shot in the arm.
Joel Embiid taunted the Boston crowd in the final minutes of the stunning road victory. The ESPN cameras also caught him doing his infamous hip thrust after dropping a bucket that provided him with a chance for a three-point play in the first half.
The former MVP even referenced the old “Boston Strangler” nickname when Maxey was in the middle of his postgame tv interview. He seemed like he was having fun playing the game of basketball again, an unfortunate rarity in 2024-25.
Nobody truly knows if the 76ers will turn around their season, but their NBA Christmas Day game turned into the best breath of fresh air that any Philadelphia fan could’ve hoped for.
