Tyrese Maxey, Sixers play Grinch in the Garden with impressive win over rival Celtics

So that’s why they say the NBA season doesn’t officially start until Christmas.

Philadelphia defeated the defending champion Boston Celtics 118-114 as the Sixers played their first game with their expected starting lineup of the offseason.

Tyrese Maxey was sensational from start to finish, leading all scorers with 33 points and shooting 12-of-23 from the field along with 12 assists. He is the first Sixer to have at least 30 points and 10 assists on Christmas.

Despite a scary pregame game, Joel Embiid finished with 27 points and nine rebounds. He shot 8-of-15 from the floor.

Caleb Martin lived up to his Celtics killer reputation, finishing with 23 points on 8-of-11 shooting. Paul George struggled with 12 points on 4-of-15 shooting, but hit a pair of big free throws to help ice the game.

Here are some thoughts at the buzzer.

First quarter

• It was a pretty fast start for both offenses. Boston’s first two makes of the game were threes from Al Horford, because of course they were. Maxey also got off to an aggressive start with a pair of threes of his own and a drive to the basket.
• It was again the big 3 who dominated the shot selection early on. While Maxey’s jumpers fell, Embiid and George each went 1-of-4 from the floor. Embiid hung around the perimeter a bit to start the game, but got going with a pair of layups — the second an and-1 for which he broke out in the DX celebration.

• Andre Drummond was unavailable, but Guerschon Yabusele was the best option at backup center for this matchup. The Celtics plays almost exclusively five-out: 16 of their 23 field goals in the first were threes. Jayson Tatum responded well to a 7-0 Philly run, but the Sixers led by five after Maxey ended the quarter with a layup.

Second Quarter

• Another straight start to this frame as Maxey kept his momentum going with a wide open dunk to kick things off. Yabusele responded to some Celtics’ threes with a couple of his own. The first three Caleb Martin took out a little more clumsily than they did on Monday, but it still went in. He and Kelly Oubre Jr. were very helpful in denying rebounds away from Boston early.
• The shots kept falling for the Sixers as they went on an extended 17-2 run and built a good chunk of their lead with Embiid and George on the bench. Martin made another three fall and had an impressive putback as he flew all over. Crazy how different he looks when his whole body isn’t falling apart.

• Like the first, it was Tatum who began to close the gap as the half ended. The Celtics were pretty focused on getting Embiid into space to attack him there and get him off the rim. At the other end, he hit a pair of midrange jumpers and a three to hold an eight-point lead at the half. The 66 points the Sixers scored were the most in a first half for them all season.

Third Quarter

• Kristaps Porzingis stepped funny on one of the first plays of the game and lagged behind. He returned to play 13 minutes in the first half, but Luke Kornet was out to start the second half in his place, the broadcast announced shortly after he was doubtful to return. Boston didn’t seem to miss him right away as it opened the half on a 6-0 run, prompting a Nurse timeout.
• The Sixers’ offense had gone completely quiet and opened the second half going 2-of-15 from the floor. A big part of that was Maxey just not making the shots he did in the first half, but the offense as a whole started to play a little panicked as things started to build. George had another poor shooting night, going 0-6 from three from beyond the arc through three quarters.
• In addition to Tatum having a good night, Jaylen Brown got hot after only having two points in the first half. Brown shot 6-of-10 from the field in the third. The field goal drought was finally broken with a baby hook by Yabusele. They were able to put together one more basket to keep things tied at 82 entering the fourth.

Fourth Quarter

• After barely making multiple three-pointers in a game all season, Caleb Martin hit seven tonight after hitting three on Monday. In addition to that clearance after recharging his batteries, it must feel nice for the Sixers to acquire a guy and not lose his Celtic-killing abilities. Maxey got going again and the Sixers went on an 18-2 run to start the quarter.
• The second unit with Maxey did such a good job that the nurse left them out there for the first seven minutes of the quarter. For most of the game, the Sixers’ defense was successful in turning over the Celtics, but in the early part of the fourth, they just lacked shots.
• In one moment, the Celtics went on an 11-0 run to suddenly make it a possession game with just over two minutes left. The panic in the Sixers’ offense returned as Maxey turned it over twice at halfcourt before Nurse called a timeout.
• The situation only became more concerning after Embiid limped quite a bit after fouling out. His left foot slipped slightly on the drive and his ankle twisted as a result. Hopefully it’s nothing, but unfortunately we’ll be watching those games for the rest of his career.
• Some free throws and an absurd layup by Maxey that beat the shot clock pushed the lead back up to nine, but two more sloppy balls allowed the Celtics to get a pair of baskets in seconds. They should have put the game away much sooner, but they were actually able to put it away.

• As part of their annual Disney on Ice road trip, the Sixers head out west. Their next matchup will be Saturday when they take on the Jazz in Utah at 9:30 p.m. ET.