76ers leave Boston fans with coal in their stockings, Celtics lose 118-114 on Christmas

Following a disappointing defeat against the Orlando Magic, the Celtics returned home for a holiday matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers on Christmas Day. Unfortunately, the 76ers played spoiler, defeating the Celtics 118-114 at TD Garden.

Jayson Tatum led the Celtics with 32 points and 15 rebounds, supported by Jaylen Brown with 23 points, Derrick White with 21 points, and Al Horford with 17 points. However, the standout performer was Tyrese Maxey for the 76ers, scoring 33 points and 12 assists in the absence of Jrue Holiday, while Caleb Martin added 23 points, including 7 three-pointers.

Al Horford kicked off the holiday game with consecutive three-pointers for the Celtics, who showed promise from beyond the arc. Despite a strong start, the Celtics struggled with turnovers in the first quarter, giving up the ball six times. Tyrese Maxey was a key contributor for the 76ers, finishing the quarter with 12 points.

Although the Celtics shot well from three in the first quarter, making 7 out of 16 attempts, they still trailed the 76ers 30-25. Philadelphia’s attack in the paint proved effective, accounting for 18 of their 30 points. Al Horford led the Celtics with 9 points after the first quarter.

The Celtics continued their three-point barrage in the second quarter, but former Celtic Guerschon Yabusele and Caleb Martin fueled a 76ers run, extending their lead to 50 points by the midway mark of the quarter.

Boston struggled to contain the 76ers’ offensive rebounds and loose balls, leading to a 16-point deficit in the second quarter, the largest home deficit for the Celtics this season.

Jayson Tatum heated up in the second quarter, scoring consecutive threes over Joel Embiid and Paul George as the Celtics mounted a comeback to reduce the deficit to single digits. However, Joel Embiid’s stellar shooting maintained the 76ers’ lead at halftime.

Despite a strong offensive performance by the Celtics in the first half, shooting 44% from the field and 46% from three, the 76ers’ dominance in the paint proved challenging for Boston. Jayson Tatum led the Celtics with 16 points, while Jaylen Brown struggled with only 2 points. Embiid and Maxey led the 76ers with 18 points each.

Kristaps Porzingis was absent from the Celtics bench in the second half as Luke Kornet replaced him for the third quarter due to left ankle soreness.

A strong start by Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum in the third quarter helped the Celtics cut the 76ers’ lead to just 1 point. Tatum’s mid-range shot over Kelly Oubre Jr gave the Celtics their first lead since the opening quarter.

The third quarter ended with a tied score of 82-82, showcasing a much-improved defensive effort from the Celtics, who limited the 76ers to 16 points in the quarter and improved their rim protection.

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