The Celtics dropped their second consecutive game Wednesday night, falling to the 76ers 106-103. Derrick White, who joined the team in Philadelphia three hours prior to tip-off, returned to the lineup, giving the Celtics a big lift early on, leading the team in points (7), rebounds (4), and assists (3) in the first quarter.
However, the Celtics weren’t able to overcome another poor shooting performance, as they shot under 40% for the second consecutive game. The C’s finished the night shooting 36-of-91 (39.6%) from the field and 15-of-47 (31.9%) from deep.
At one point, Boston led by double-digits, jumping out to an 11-point lead behind an 8-2 run in the first 1:20 of the second quarter. But things changed quickly, as the 76ers outscored the Celtics 37-19 after Boston’s early run, headlined by a 22-5 run of their own, in what was undoubtedly Boston’s worst defensive quarter of the season. Philly finished the second quarter shooting 15-of-28 (53.6%) from the floor and 5-of-8 (62.5%) from three.
Boston’s transition offense was a driving factor in their ability to build their double-digit lead, an aspect that was taken away as the defense failed to get stops.
Trailing by seven at the half, the Celtics needed to get things going in the third quarter. In an attempt to stage a comeback, the C’s became extremely reliant on the three-ball, jacking up 18 in the third quarter. Sixteen of Boston’s first 18 shots came from beyond the arc in the third quarter.
The Celtics finished the third quarter with six turnovers and just five made buckets, as they were outscored 9-0 in the final 3:25, shooting 0-for-7 from the field with a pair of turnovers over that stretch.
Down 14 with under two minutes to go, the Celtics made things interesting, going on a 13-2 run, giving them a chance to tie the game with eight seconds left, but Kristaps Porzingis left the game-tying three-point attempt short.
Here are three takeaways as the Celtics drop to 5-2 on the season.
Rebounding
Believe it or not, the Celtics entered Wednesday night’s matchup with the 76ers first in rebounds per game (50.7), having outrebounded their opponents in five of their six games, posting 53.4% rebound percentage (third in the league).
The Celtics got killed on the glass by the 76ers, as they were outrebounded 56-43. Boston especially struggled to keep Philly off the offensive glass, surrendering 12 offensive rebounds, resulting in 19 second-chance points.
The Celtics have now surrendered 10 or more offensive rebounds in four of their six games.
Keeping opponents off the glass has been an issue for the Celtics, who are an otherwise good rebounding team.
Quiet night from the Jays
Brown had his worst game of the season Wednesday night. The 27-year-old posted just 11 points on 4-of-13 (30.8%) shooting from the field, 2-of-7 deep (28.6%) and turned the ball over four times. Brown was able to salvage his night a bit during Boston’s late comeback, scoring six points in the final 1:58 and coming up with a timely block on Tyrese Maxey that gave Boston a chance to tie it. Each of Brown’s two threes came in the final two minutes.
Though Jayson Tatum did snag a game-high 15 rebounds, it was a quiet night for him offensively. The 25-year-old, who had posted 30 or more points in four consecutive games entering Wednesday night, finished with a season-low 16 points on 6-of-14 (42.9%) shooting.
Tatum’s 14-shot attempts were third-most for the Celtics, which should not be the case.
Philadelphia’s duo of Embiid (who leads the NBA in scoring) and Maxey got the better of the Jays on Wednesday night, outscoring Tatum and Brown 52-27.
Payton Pritchard’s struggles continue
After a red-hot preseason, Pritchard has had a tough start to the regular season. The 25-year-old, fresh off a four-year $30 million extension, was held scoreless for a third consecutive game. After his 0-of-4 night Wednesday, Pritchard is now shooting 8-of-34 (23.5%) from the floor and 3-of-20 (15%) from deep this season. Six of Pritchard’s eight made baskets came in Boston’s blowout win over the Pacers.
With all the roster shakeups this offseason, Prtichard was expected to assume a role as one of, if not the top scorers off the bench, and so far, he hasn’t done enough. Pritchard will eventually break out of this slump, something the Celtics will need to happen sooner rather than later, as they now rank last in bench points per game, with their one saving grace being Sam Hauser, who had himself another nice night Wednesday night, scoring 13 of Boston’s 16 bench points.
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