The Celtics dropped their first home game of the season Thursday night, getting edged by the Philadelphia 76ers, 115-109.
Here’s what we saw:
1. Let’s break down the final 30 seconds or so of action:
- With the Celtics trailing 108-106 and 34.6 seconds remaining, coach Brad Stevens decided to employ the “Hack-a-Simmons” strategy. Gordon Hayward intentionally fouled Ben Simmons, sending the 23-year-old to the line. To the tune of thunderous boos, Simmons, a 58.1 percent free-throw shooter, knocked down both shots to extend Philly’s lead to four. “The decision to foul Simmons, in retrospect because he makes both, is not a great one,” Stevens said after the game. Even so, Stevens expressed confidence in his team’s ability to play fast and get a second possession out of those final 34 seconds.
- With 26.5 seconds remaining, Jayson Tatum lost his defender and drilled a three-pointer over a late-contesting Joel Embiid to pull the Celtics within one.
- The Sixers called a timeout, which advanced the ball. The Celtics immediately followed Embiid after he received the inbound pass from Simmons. Embiid, an 81.3 percent free-throw shooter, knocked down both shots to put the Sixers up by three, 112-109.
- The Celtics were unable to get the ball in play. Searching for the open man, Tatum waited several seconds on the baseline before trying to connect with a cutting Jaylen Brown. Both Brown and his defender, Josh Richardson, ended up on the ground, as the untouched ball skipped out of bounds. No foul was called on the play. “We didn’t get the ball in,” Stevens said. “You got to be able to do those things in the biggest moments. We didn’t get that done.”
- The Sixers successfully inbounded the ball to rookie Matisse Thybulle, who then passed to Embiid, who was fouled once again. Thybulle seemed like the better option to send to the line — he averages only 0.8 free-throw attempts per game — but Embiid it was. As the crowd, upset at the aforementioned non-call on Richardson, chanted “bull-****,” Embiid made the first of two and gave Philly a 113-109 lead.
- On Embiid’s miss, the Celtics secured the rebound and looked for a quick two. Hayward found an open Daniel Theis under the basket, but Embiid quickly recovered for an emphatic block to seal the game.
2. Boston started Theis at center, not Enes Kanter who had started in the season opener. The two ended up splitting the role, both logging 24 minutes. According to the NBA’s tracking data, Kanter recorded the most minutes and possessions guarding Embiid. During that time, Embiid shot 4 of 11 from the field. Only 12 of Embiid’s 38 points came with Kanter defending him, per the league’s tracking data. Often maligned for his lack of defensive intensity, Kanter once again held his ground against Embiid. He was effective on the offensive end, too, scoring a season-high 20 points on 10-for-13 shooting. He also grabbed nine rebounds, three of which came on the offensive glass. With 99 seconds remaining and the Celtics trailing 106-100, Kanter tipped home a crucial basket after point guard Kemba Walker’s layup bounced off the back of the rim.
3. Embiid feasted for a season-high 38 points, but his role as a facilitator (six assists) was also damaging for the Celtics. Embiid credited his teammates for knocking down open shots. “If they don’t make shots, it’s easier to double team me,” he said. “If they do, then you got to make a decision: Do you want to give up a three or just hope that your big man tries to stop me? It’s a hard decision to make.”
4. Tatum turned in another performance that left much to be desired, shooting 5-for-18 after going 4-for-13 Wednesday night in Indiana. Tatum hit two big three-pointers in the fourth quarter, one to cut Philly’s lead to five with less than four minutes remaining and one to bring the Celtics within one with less than 30 seconds left. The rest of his night, however, was not as pretty. Asked if he thought Tatum was pressing, Stevens seemed to shrug off that notion. “We’re not going to ride the rollercoasters of a tough night,” he said. “We’re just going to ride those guys. We’re happy to do so. Those are our guys. I like the fact that he took 18 shots. I liked the fact that he was aggressive. We want him to keep doing that.”
5. Hayward scored Boston’s first nine points of the second half. After sustaining a blow to the nose that kept him out of the final six and a half minutes against the Pacers Wednesday, he didn’t seem limited Thursday. In addition to the inadvertent hit, Hayward is also still recovering from his fractured left hand. In the locker room after the game, he wore a padded fingerless glove after having his hand wrapped in ice. He said he plans to use the upcoming off days to continue to rehab.
6. Walker, who tallied 29 points, noted the team has suffered from some mental lapses during these back-to-back losses. “We just have to learn how to win,” Walker said. “We have stretches where we’re playing super well and then we have times where it’s just bad. It looks really bad. We just have to tone that down a little bit and try our best to put 48-minute games together.” Walker’s level of concern doesn’t seem to be very high, though. He said the group is continuing to build chemistry and learning how to play with one another. “One thing I love about us is we’re not quitting,” Walker said. “We’re still fighting through adversity. When things are getting rough, we’re not putting our heads down. We’re competing and still playing at a high level, so it can only go up from here.”
7. In his first trip back to TD Garden since signing with the Sixers during free agency, Al Horford was sidelined with left knee soreness and left hamstring tightness. “I’m definitely disappointed that I won’t be able to play,” he said before tip-off. When he was shown on the center-court video board at the start of the second quarter, Horford stood up from the bench to wave to the crowd. A smattering of initial boos was quickly drowned out by a warm standing ovation, which included president of basketball operations Danny Ainge. Horford called the decision to leave Boston “tough,” but he explained the opportunity to play alongside Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons — and the opportunity to “win now” — was too good to pass up.
8. Rookies Romeo Langford and Carsen Edwards were both assigned to the Maine Red Claws, who will be on the road Friday (Iowa Wolves) and Sunday (Grand Rapids Drive). Two-way players Tacko Fall and Tremont Waters were in Boston and available to play, though coach Brad Stevens noted pre-game that scenario would be unlikely.
9. Marcus Smart (left eye infection) and Robert Williams (sore left hip) each missed their third consecutive game. The Celtics have a four-day break before their next game: at Dallas Wednesday.
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