PHILADELPHIA -- The Philadelphia 76ers returned back to the Xfinity Mobile Arena on Friday with home court advantage in their Round 1 series with the Boston Celtics. The Sixers continue to play without the sidelined Joel Embiid as the big fella is still recovering from an appendectomy back on April 9, but to their credit, they have found a way to be successful on the floor.
There were plenty of times in this one when the Celtics threatened to pull away as they built a double-digit lead on separate occasions. To their credit, the Sixers continued to fight and even rallied to take a lead in the third, but the Celtics would eventually walk away with a gritty and tough 108-100 win and take a 2-1 lead in the series. Jaylen Brown had 25 points and seven rebounds while Jayson Tatum had 25 points and seven assists for Boston.
Tyrese Maxey had 31 points and six assists for Philadelphia while Paul George had 18 points and five assists, and Kelly Oubre Jr. had 17 points and six rebounds. Adem Bona added 10 points, five rebounds, and three blocks, VJ Edgecombe had 10 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists, and Andre Drummond had 12 points and six rebounds.
When Maxey decided to put his head down and attack downhill, the Celtics didn’t have much of an answer for him. He is just too quick for the likes of Derrick White and Payton Pritchard, so when he was able to get those opportunities, he took advantage. He finally found a rhythm in the third when he had a bit of a heater with his offensive ability. He knocked down a couple of 3s, got to the basket some and made life miserable for every Celtics defender in that stretch. The shots he made in the fourth were terrific as he threw this franchise on his back as he has so many times this season. Maxey continues to put his imprint on this league.
It was obvious that the Celtics shaded some more attention toward Edgecombe in the early going of this one. The rookie was under duress as most of his shots were contested in this one. When he did get a clean look, he seemed to rush it a bit, but to his credit, Edgecombe did so many good things in this one to offset the poor shooting night. He competed on the defensive end, attacked the glass, and played with a ton of energy. He just had a tough time with his own shot in this one which is unfortunate because he was terrific in every other area.
After a quiet start, George got going in the second quarter. Once again, the Celtics played in a drop coverage, so when he came off the screen, he was able to walk into 3-point looks. He was also terrific on the defensive end as he forced both Brown and Tatum into some tough looks. He had a run in the third quarter that allowed him to get into a rhythm. He knocked down a couple of tough triples while also being able to get to his spots in the paint to give Philadelphia an offensive spark.
It was a strong start for Oubre as he knocked down a 3 while also finding a way to get to the basket off the dribble for a layup. Not only that, but he was strong on the defensive end. He made some terrific plays on the perimeter against Brown as he frustrated him at times. The energy he brought to the floor in this one was infectious. He came up with some big buckets in the paint to give the Sixers a lift every time it looked like Boston was going to pull away.
Welcome to the playoffs, Mr. Bona. The young big man out of UCLA was terrific in this one as a rim protector. He came up with some impressive blocks early which caused the Celtics to think twice when they drove to the basket with him in the game. He had some tough finishes around the basket and allowed Philadelphia to find some rhythm on both ends of the floor. The only real issue for Bona in this one was the foul trouble he found himself in as it forced him off the floor.
It was a tough start for Drummond as he was a step slow on the defensive end in his initial stint. He did grab some rebounds, but between the defensive miscues plus a turnover, the Sixers turned back to Bona quickly. He had a slow start to this one, but he was terrific in the third quarter as he was tough in the paint while also knocking down a corner 3 to give the Sixers a lift on both ends of the floor. Overall, though, it wasn’t a great game for the veteran as he had some tough moments for the Sixers.
Grimes gave the Sixers some offense with a tough drive to the basket and two free throws, but he missed an open look from 3 in his initial stint. He had some tough moments defensively as well as Boston built a lead. Overall, a tough night for Grimes, but he at least was helpful on the glass.
It was a tough night for Edwards in this one. He committed a couple of turnovers in the early going and was unable to find many shot opportunities. To his credit, he competed defensively and gave the Sixers some help on that end, though.
This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: Player grades: Tyrese Maxey, Sixers fall to Celtics in Game 3 at home