BOSTON -- The Philadelphia 76ers begin their playoff run on Sunday afternoon against the Boston Celtics in Game 1 of Round 1. The No. 7 seed Sixers entered as big underdogs as they continue to navigate life without Joel Embiid as the big fella continues to recover from his appendectomy from April 9.

The Celtics made life miserable for the Embiid-less Sixers from the jump as they raced out to a lead as large as 23 in the first half. The lead then ballooned to as large as 35 points before Boston jumped out to a 1-0 series lead with a 123-91 win. Celtics star Jayson Tatum had 25 points, 11 rebounds, and seven assists while Jaylen Brown added 26 points and four rebounds.

The Sixers were led by Tyrese Maxey with 21 points and eight assists, Paul George had 17 points and four rebounds, and VJ Edgecombe had 13 points. Kelly Oubre Jr. added 10 points and seven rebounds, and Justin Edwards added seven and six rebounds.

In order for the Sixers to have any chance in this series, they will need Maxey to be aggressive and continue to lead the way on the offensive end. He put his head down in this one as he was able to find his way into the paint, but he didn’t shoot a great percentage as the Celtics raced out to a big lead. When Maxey was able to get a head full of steam and get to the basket, he found some success, but his shot continues to betray him a bit as he had a tough time with his 3-point shot. The Celtics also hunted him on the defensive end as they liked the matchup against him due to their size. Overall, a tough day for Maxey to begin the playoffs.

Edgecombe has passed every test with flying colors leading to this point. He got his first taste of playoff basketball in this one as the Celtics made his life miserable. He had a tough time really finding any type of rhythm in this one and was unable to convert on his open looks from deep. He found a groove in the third, but the Celtics had built their lead by then and Philadelphia couldn’t respond. This will be an opportunity for Edgecombe to watch the film and prepare for Game 2 on Tuesday.

The only other Sixer to really get the scoreboard moving for Philadelphia in the early going, George was able to find a way to get to the foul line as the Celtics had some issues defending him straight up. However, George did turn the ball over twice early as Boston built its lead. Overall, the turnovers hurt, but George was able to get to the free-throw line and keep the scoreboard moving in the right direction while also playing some solid defense.

After not finding any success with his 3-point looks, Oubre decided enough was enough and put his head down to attack the basket for a vicious slam. With that being said, the 11-year veteran out of Kansas was unable to get a lot going on the offensive end of the floor as he had a tough time finding a rhythm and flow. He competed defensively, but he was unable to get going from the 3-point line—most of which were wide-open looks.

It was a tough start for Bona in his playoff debut. He picked up two quick fouls in less than two minutes and was relegated to the bench early. It wasn’t much better as the game wore on as he had a tough time converting on looks at the basket and didn’t have his usual impact defensively.

Drummond definitely came off the bench and played with a lot of fire and energy, but the 14-year big man picked up two fouls and a technical foul after being called for a goaltend on a Neemias Queta bucket for the Celtics. He played with a ton of energy, but it just wasn’t enough in this one. He was a step slow defending the pick-and-roll and contributed to the defensive problems.

The overall night for Barlow didn’t produce much. He wasn’t able to convert on his looks in the paint and wasn’t able to make a big difference on the defensive end of the floor like he normally does.

It was a tough start to the day for Grimes as he couldn’t find a look at the basket in his initial stint and had some defensive miscues. He did at least help on the glass, so the Sixers will take that. He got some shots to fall in the second half so Philadelphia should tap into that a bit more heading into Game 2.

With the Sixers desperately needing a spark in offensive energy, Edwards hopped off the bench and provided a big lift. He knocked down a triple from the wing on a catch-and-shoot and then had a bucket in the paint off an offensive rebound opportunity. It was tough sledding after the hot start, but Edwards was able to produce and give Philadelphia something for its bench unit.

This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: Player grades: Sixers stumble, fall to Celtics in Game 1 on the road