Stars, Studs and Duds: It's the Kyrie Irving Christmas Show

Share

BOSTON -- NBA fans got quite the treat on Christmas Day as the Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers reminded us all why they are among the top teams in the Eastern Conference. 

Every punch thrown by the Celtics was met by a similarly forced blow from Philly, eventually becoming a game that went into overtime before the C's escaped with a 121-114 victory. 

Down the stretch, it was the Kyrie Irving Show with a slew of supporting cast members (Jayson Tatum, Marcus Morris, Terry Rozier to name a few).

Here are the Stars, Studs and Duds from Boston’s victory over the Sixers. 

STARS
Kyrie Irving: It didn’t take Irving much time to make a major impact on the game, scoring 16 points in the first quarter - the second consecutive game he's scored at least 16 in the first. He actually had one of his more well-rounded games, finishing with a double-double of 40 points and 10 rebounds

Joel Embiid: The Celtics’ Aron Baynes (broken hand) was out and Al Horford was playing with a minutes restriction. Even at full strength, Embiid is a load to deal with. He would lead the Sixers with 34 points and 16 rebounds, which included him making all 12 of his free throws. 

STUDS
Jimmy Butler: After missing six of his first seven shots from the field, Butler made all the necessary adjustments to get into rhythm. Butler finished with 24 points on 9-for-20 shooting.

Jayson Tatum: His all-around game has been really strong past couple of nights. On Tuesday, he finished with 23 points on 7-for-18 shooting while going 8-for-9 from the free-throw line.

Marcus Morris: It’s to the point where there’s little Morris can do that surprises us in terms of scoring. He had another solid night, tallying 23 points on 8-for-13 shooting.

DUDS
J.J. Redick: The movement without the ball by Redick is one of the reasons why the Sixers have been among the top offensive teams this season. But the Celtics gave him very few good looks at the rim and did a strong job of cutting off a lot of his movement. He had 17 points but was just 5-for-16 shooting from the field.

Al Horford: The Celtics love having him back for his defense and rebounding, but he had one of his roughest games of the season shooting the ball, scoring four points while shooting just 2-for-10 shots from the field. 

Celtics bench: This was yet another rough night shooting for Boston’s second unit as they were a combined 9-for-26 shooting from the field and just 3-for-9 on 3’s. 

Click here to download the new MyTeams App by NBC Sports! Receive comprehensive coverage of your teams and stream the Celtics easily on your device.

NBC SPORTS BOSTON SCHEDULE

Contact Us