Sixers fend off Boston Celtics, sure statement win behind brilliance from Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid

BOSTON — If the 76ers’ game against the defending champion Boston Celtics was a barometer of where they stand, the answer was clear after registering a 118-114 Christmas Day victory at TD Garden.

The Sixers showed they have the potential to be an elite team. They were solid in transition, had a balanced attack, built a 16-point lead and handled Boston’s comeback effort. The win improved their record to 11-17 and marked the team’s eighth win in 11 games.

“I think we have a high ceiling,” Joel Embiid said. “It’s about us getting it together. I don’t think we played our best basketball, but Tyrese (Maxey) was great. I could have been better. (Paul George) could have been better and we’re going to be better , and then our bench – Caleb (Martin) gave us a great boost, but I don’t think it was our best basketball, but we got a pretty good chance. So it’s about waiting for some luck and stay healthy.”

This win also showed great improvement since Saturday.

That’s when the Embiid-less Sixers suffered a 27-point road loss to the East and NBA-leading Cleveland Cavaliers. They responded by defeating the San Antonio Spurs, 111-106, on Monday at the Wells Fargo Center.

Then came their Christmas Day win over the Celtics (22-8), which served as a statement of sorts.

» READ MORE: Sixers fend off Boston Celtics and secure statement win behind Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid’s brilliance

“We’re just finally figuring out roles and rotations, regardless of who’s there and who’s not,” coach Nick Nurse said. “The organization is a lot better … just the organization, the execution, stuff like that. And then I think our defense has certainly become much more physical and tough. We’re giving ourselves a chance because we’re really guarding a lot better.”

Paul George gave the Sixers a five-point cushion with a pair of foul shots with 6.2 seconds left. But Jaylen Brown answered with a three-pointer on the ensuing possession to close the gap to two points. However, Embiid made a pair of foul shots with 2.8 seconds left to give a four-point advantage.

The Celtics turned the ball over on the ensuing possession.

The Sixers were 19-for-19 from the foul line on a night where Maxey and Embiid showed why they were the NBA’s top scoring duo last season.

Maxey finished with a game-high 33 points and 12 assists to go with three steals. He made 12 of 23 shots. This was a big improvement over last year’s Christmas game against the Miami Heat, when Maxey scored 12 points on 4-for-20 shooting. He made just one of his eight three-point attempts that night and was held scoreless on 0-for-9 shooting in the first half.

On Wednesday, he became the first Sixer to finish with at least 30 points and 10 assists on Christmas.

“It was cool,” Maxey said of his performance. “I had to redeem myself from last year. Last year at Christmas … I got it.”

He said last year’s game has been in the back of his mind for a long time.

» READ MORE: Sixers takeaways: Healthy Caleb Martin shines, Paul George’s shooting issues

“Trendon Watford always messes with me in Brooklyn like, ‘Yeah, you’ve been playing well, done all these good things in the playoffs and at the Garden,'” Maxey said. “‘But can you play well at Christmas when you want to be with your family?’ He calls me all the time and messes with me.”

Embiid added 27 points and nine rebounds in the win. He made 4 of 5 three-pointers.

George struggled mightily, scoring 12 points on 4-for-15 shooting — including missing all seven of his three-point attempts.

But Caleb Martin caught on as he continued his dominance against the Celtics. The Sixers forward added 23 points on 8-for-11 shooting — including a season-high seven three-pointers. Martin has a knack for producing big games against the Celtics, doing so with his former team, the Miami Heat.

However, Embiid had a small health scare before the game. While warming up, he fell over the perimeter rope. Lying on his back, Embiid reached out and grabbed his right ankle before standing up and continuing his warm-up routine.

“I stepped on a guard (who was behind the rope) and just twisted it,” he said of his ankle.

That moment became a blip for Embiid as the game tipped out. And nothing has bothered Maxey lately. He has done a solid job shooting the ball as he made just 40.3% of his shots through the first 15 games of the season.

“He might be a little more aggressive and more confident in the shots he takes,” the nurse said. “I definitely think he’s a good shooter all the way through. A little bit of a rough early start, but I thought he’d probably shoot his way out of it. So he’s continuing to do that.”

Maxey was aggressive at first against the Celtics. He accounted for 70% of his team’s 30 points in the first quarter. He had 12 points on 5-for-10 shooting with four assists. Nine of Maxey’s teammates scored points off his assists.

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With Maxey leading the way, the Sixers built a 16-point lead in the second quarter. However, the Celtics responded with a 13-4 run to close the gap to five points with 42 seconds left before halftime. Maxey hit a pair of free throws and Embiid sank a three-pointer in the final seconds to give the Sixers a 66-58 halftime lead.

Embiid was perfect in the second quarter, scoring 10 points on 4-for-4 shooting — including two three-pointers. Embiid and Maxey combined for just seven points on 1-for-6 shooting in the third quarter. George also missed all five shots during the period.

The Sixers trio’s shooting problems combined with Brown scoring 14 points in the third quarter allowed Boston to get back into the game. The teams entered the fourth quarter tied at 82.

But got back into the groove in the fourth quarter. He made three straight baskets to give the Sixers a 94-84 lead with 8:50 left. The Celtics pulled within two points late, but the Sixers ended the game with clutch errors.

“Any win for us right now is a good win, honestly,” Maxey said. “We knew this was going to be a tough test for us. I think guys really stepped up. … We had guys out who have played well; (KJ Martin has) played really well and he was out. Other ( Drummond has) played solid and he was out.

“So we knew some guys had to step up. Reggie Jackson hasn’t played a minute, but he went out there and did a really good job. Kyle (Lowry) did a good job, too.”