Philadelphia

76ers

As was the case ahead of Game 3 on Friday, Embiid is considered doubtful on the 76ers’ initial injury report. If he can return, Embiid’s return would mean fewer minutes for Adem Bona and Andre Drummond. However, his minutes are likely to be restricted whenever the former MVP is deemed healthy enough to play.

Oubre, who logged 40 minutes in Game 3 on Friday, is dealing with a sore right adductor. If he cannot play on Sunday, Quentin Grimes is the player most likely to move into the starting lineup.

Maxey had 31 points, but he wasn’t efficient with 31 attempts from the field. The 25-year-old point guard only took two free throws all game. He made a three-pointer with less than nine minutes left in regulation to give the 76ers the lead, but only scored two points for the rest of the game. The 76ers will have to win Game 4 on Sunday to even the series after falling behind 2-1.

Embiid has missed two weeks since being diagnosed with appendicitis. He was initially deemed doubtful on the injury report, which was a step in the right direction. Andre Drummond and Adem Bona will continue to handle the center minutes with Embiid still sidelined.

Embiid being listed as doubtful, rather than the 76ers immediately ruling him out, is a step in the right direction. However, he’s closer to not being available on Friday than being able to play. The 76ers will continue to rely on Adem Bona and Andre Drummond until the former league MVP is healthy enough to play.

Halfway through the fourth quarter, the Celtics cut the 76ers’ lead to two points. The 25-year-old point guard proceeded to hit back-to-back three-pointers to essentially put the game on ice for Philadelphia. After taking just four three-pointers in the Game 1 loss, Maxey was 5-of-12 from behind the arc in Game 2. His scoring remains critical if Philadelphia is going to pull the upset in this series.

Edgecombe headed to the locker room twice and was seen riding a stationary bike on the 76ers’ sideline at points during the game. Nevertheless, the 20-year-old guard managed to play 35 minutes and was excellent in Game 2. Edgecombe bounced back from a 13-point performance in Game 1 to lead the 76ers with 30 points and six three-pointers in the Game 2 victory. The series shifts to Philadelphia for Game 3 on Friday.

Edgecombe’s official playoff debut did not go as smoothly as the rookie would have hoped. While good inside the three-point line, he missed all five of his three-point attempts on the day. Edgecombe played 34 minutes against the Celtics, and that was with the fourth quarter essentially being “garbage time.” Edgecombe and the 76ers will look to put up more resistance in Game 2 on Tuesday.

While George finished Sunday’s defeat with solid percentages, the 76ers will have little chance of competing if he’s only attempting eight shots from the field. By comparison, Kelly Oubre Jr. (10/7/2) shot 5-of-14 from the field, including 0-of-5 from beyond the arc. With Joel Embiid (appendicitis) out indefinitely, George will have to be much closer to Tyrese Maxey’s “1B” than he was on Sunday for the 76ers to have any chance of being competitive in this series.

Maxey led the way offensively for the 76ers in Sunday’s series opener, but the Celtics made him work for everything. The 76ers’ point guard shot 40 percent from the field, including a 1-of-4 day from beyond the arc. During the regular season, Maxey averaged 8.6 three-point attempts per game. If Boston can successfully run Maxey off the line as they did in Game 1, this series may not last very long. Game 2 is scheduled for Tuesday night.