The shorthanded Boston Celtics couldn't complete the season sweep of the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday night.
With both Robert Williams (left knee injury management) and Jaylen Brown (low back pain) out, the C's came up just short against their Eastern Conference rival. Sixers star Joel Embiid put on a show with 52 points to lead his team to its first win of the campaign against Boston in four meetings, 103-101.
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Derrick White was the Celtics' leading scorer with 26 points. Six Celtics scored in double figures in the losing effort, including Jayson Tatum (19 points) and Malcolm Brogdon (18 points). Tatum missed what would have been the game-tying jumper as time expired.
James Harden was the Sixers' second-highest scorer with 20 points. P.J. Tucker had 11 points, including three clutch fourth-quarter 3-pointers to help seal Philadelphia's win.
The C's will head back home for the second night of a back-to-back against the Toronto Raptors. Both Williams and Brown are expected to return.
Boston Celtics
First, here are our takeaways from Tuesday's loss in Philly.
Joel Embiid adds to his MVP case
MVP chants rained down on Embiid each time he stepped to the free-throw line on Tuesday night, and for good reason.
The six-time All-Star was virtually unstoppable from the opening tip. He asserted his dominance early and often, tallying 18 points and seven rebounds in the first quarter alone. He notched a double-double (24 points, 10 boards) in the first half.
The Celtics made a run each time Embiid sat, then fell back behind when the big man was on the court. He finished 52 points on 20-of-25 shooting, 13 boards, and six assists. The rest of the Sixers roster combined to shoot 19-of-53 from the floor.
With his stellar performance, Embiid became the first center with three 50-point games in a season since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1971-72 (five), according to ESPN Stats & Info. As of Tuesday night, he is the frontrunner to win the 2022-23 NBA MVP award.
Guards do their part
The Celtics stayed in this game thanks to their guard trio of Derrick White, Marcus Smart, and Malcolm Brogdon.
In addition to pacing the team in scoring, White was a force on the defensive end. The NBA All-Defense candidate is a difference-maker with his hustle and the perfect example came in the second quarter when his outstanding transition defense led to a bucket on the other end.
White struggled with his shot for a while, but he found his groove when it mattered and scored 15 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter. He added seven rebounds, four assists, and two blocks.
Smart had 17 points, four assists, and a steal. Brogdon chipped in 18 points, four rebounds, and three assists off the bench to further his Sixth Man of the Year case. Each helped to make up for Brown's absence, but it still just wasn't enough to overcome Embiid's outburst.
C's shouldn't fear Philly
As much as the loss might sting, this game felt like more of an indictment of the 76ers than the Celtics.
Boston nearly pulled off the season sweep despite missing two of its key players, Williams and Brown. It took a 52-point explosion from Embiid and a missed Tatum shot at the buzzer for the Sixers to escape Wells Fargo Center with a two-point win.
Judging by how all four games of the season series have gone, the Celtics shouldn't lose any sleep over a possible second-round playoff matchup against Philadelphia. Plus, the C's haven't lost a postseason series to the 76ers since 1982.
As long as Embiid isn't dropping 50 points per game in the playoffs, Boston will be fine. Even then, if Tuesday's game is any indication, the C's could still end up winning the series. The gap between the Bucks/Celtics and the rest of the East is significant.
Seeding update
With their loss in Philly and the Bucks' win in Washington, the Celtics have all but locked up the No. 2 seed in the East. Milwaukee has a three-game lead in the standings with three games remaining in the season.
The third-place 76ers are two games behind the C's, so these final three games still mean something. Boston (54-25) will also want to finish with a better record than the Western Conference-leading Denver Nuggets (52-27) to earn home-court advantage in the NBA Finals if they make it that far.
The Celtics will wrap up their regular season with two games against the Raptors and their season finale against the Atlanta Hawks.