The Philadelphia 76ers wrapped up their preseason with a head-scratching 125-120 overtime loss at home against the Boston Celtics on Friday, a game where Philly actually played four of its biggest names. Yeah, you heard that right. Even with LeBron James, Joel Embiid, Jaylen Brown, and Tyrese Maxey all logging significant minutes, they still couldn’t close it out. It’s their final tune-up, and you gotta wonder what that means for their vibe heading into the regular season.
Philly’s Starters Looked Good, Then…
Look, the individual performances from Philadelphia’s core were pretty solid for the most part. Joel Embiid absolutely led the way, dropping a dominant 27 points, hitting 7 of 13 from the field, including 2 threes, and going 11 for 13 from the free-throw line. He also grabbed 8 rebounds and dished out 5 assists. Jaylen Brown added a strong 20 points, shooting 8 for 14, and Tyrese Maxey chipped in with 22 points on 7 of 11 shooting, perfect from the line at 7 for 7. Even LeBron, though quieter on the scoring with 8 points, still stuffed the stat sheet with 8 rebounds and 7 assists. These guys played well into the second half, with Brown even on the court for the first four minutes of the fourth quarter. We saw some sweet moments too, like Maxey finding James for an alley-oop, Brown and Maxey draining threes, and Embiid’s slick fake leading to a dunk. The Sixers even held a comfy 94-84 lead going into the final quarter. Everything looked like it was clicking.
The Celtics’ Bench Showed Up Big
Here’s the kicker: The Celtics largely rested their main rotation. We’re talking Jayson Tatum, Paul George, Payton Pritchard, all chilling on the sidelines. But credit where credit’s due, Boston fought hard. They clawed their way back from that double-digit deficit to tie the game at 115 by the end of regulation. And then, they just went out and won it in overtime. You’ve got Philly’s four big stars playing serious minutes, and they couldn’t seal the deal against a team essentially playing its bench. While it’s preseason, you want to see your top guys close out games, especially when the other squad is taking it easy. It’s not the ideal momentum builder, right?
What’s Next for These Squads?
Both teams are now done with the preseason grind and officially kick off their regular seasons on the road this coming Tuesday. The Celtics will head to Detroit to take on the Pistons at 3 p.m. ET. Meanwhile, the 76ers have a date with the New York Knicks at 7 p.m. ET. That loss, even if it’s preseason, has gotta leave a bit of a sour taste heading into the real games. You gotta wonder if that late-game collapse is going to be something they’re thinking about.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Bleacher Report.
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