For 33 minutes on Sunday night in Philadelphia, it looked like the Celtics were going to be searching for another excuse after falling to yet another undermanned team.
The 76ers were without four of their top eight rotation players, including Joel Embiid and Paul George, and whether it was falling into the trap of overlooking a depleted opponent or looking ahead to Tuesday night against the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Celtics came out flat, misfiring on what felt like all their open looks while Tyrese Maxey carved them up for 23 points in the first half, knocking down four of his five (80%) three-point attempts. Philadelphia shot 10-of-19 (52.6%) from deep as a team, while Boston shot 7-of-27 (33.3%).
Staring down the barrel of a 17-point halftime deficit, Joe Mazzulla asked his team if they wanted to wave the white flag.
“We just had to be honest with ourselves at halftime. Our competitive spirit wasn’t where it needed to be. Joe was like, ‘Yo, if you are tired, just tell me. I’ll sit you guys down and let the Stay-Ready Group play.’ And we just had a choice to make,” Jayson Tatum said after the game.
It wasn’t necessarily an offer—but a challenge from the head coach. And although things got worse before they got better, the Celtics responded to Mazzulla’s challenge defiantly, mounting a 26-point comeback that tied the largest comeback by any team this season and set a new high mark in the Joe Mazzulla era.
“We just had a choice to make,” said Tatum. “[Mazzulla] kind of challenged us at halftime. The way we were playing in the first half was not representative of who we are as a team and as an organization. We took it as men and responded.”
Indeed, they did. After Ricky Council went coast-to-coast for a finger-roll layup, pushing Philadelphia’s lead to 90-64, it seemed like the Celtics were done. Their win probability was just 0.4%. But over the final 14:55, they closed the game on a 54-20 run, shooting a scorching 20-of-27 (74.1%).
Contrastly, they held the 76ers to 7-of-23 (30.4%) shooting from the field and 1-of-9 (11.1%) from three-point range.
“The biggest thing was in the first half, we weren’t making shots, and it was impacting some of our defensive details, and then in the second half, we played through it,” said Mazzulla. “We chipped away at it, and we got stops. We were able to run. I think we made 11 straight shots, which, if you are going to come back, you have to do that. But I just like our guy’s mindset. I was kind of studying their body language, and it looked like they really really wanted to do what it took to win, and so that kind of stuck with them, and they delivered. I was proud to coach them this game.”
At times this season, the Celtics have looked like a team that believes they can just flip a switch when things get tough. It hasn’t always worked, but on Sunday night, that switch didn’t just flicker—it powered them through to a statement comeback, showing what they’re truly capable of when they decide to dial it in. All it took was a little extra effort and a few shots to fall.
“Just mindset. We found a way to get some stops,” said Jaylen Brown. “They missed some shots. And we just got out and rallied together. But it was nothing but mindset. That’s all it was.”
The Celtics believed in themselves and their process. They tightened up defensively, forcing misses and making life difficult for Philadelphia. On offense, even when shots weren’t falling, they remained committed to taking the right ones. Despite their struggles from beyond the arc, they kept shooting with confidence, knowing the math would eventually work in their favor—and it did.
After hitting just nine of their first 33 three-point attempts (27.3%), they erupted for 12 of their final 16 (75.0%), outscoring Philadelphia by +33 from deep over the final 18 minutes of the game. Four different Celtics made a three over that span, with Jayson Tatum, Derrick White, and Sam Hauser each knocking down at least three apiece.
“The math evened out. But you’ve got to play hard. Math and effort. We played harder in the second half, and the math caught up, which gave us a chance, and then we executed and made some big-time plays on both ends.”
The contributions came from everywhere. Mazzulla leaned on Tatum, Brown, White, Holiday, Porzingis, Hauser, and Kornet in the second half, and each of them made their presence felt. Tatum and Brown led the way, combining for 40 points and 12 assists. The 76ers, as a team, scored just 49 points in the second half and registered only 10 assists.
“It didn’t go our way right away, and we just had to keep fighting,” said Tatum. “It brought the best out of us. That’s how we’re supposed to play. It took a little bit from everybody.”
Now winners of three in a row for just the second time in the last eight weeks, and 6-2 in their last eight games, the Celtics are starting to find some stability after a prolonged stretch of .500 ball.
With 50 games in the books and over 60% of the season behind them, it’s time to start kicking into gear. The final 15 minutes of Sunday night’s win could be the spark they’ve been looking for—a reminder of why they’re the reigning champions and just how good they can be when they decide to turn it on.
“In the best way, it’s like, we can’t forget who we are, what we’re capable of, and the things that we’ve done,” said Tatum. “Sometimes we’ve gotta remind ourselves who we are. We were down 18 in Indiana last year in Game 3, so we’re familiar with being in those situations. We just had to play with a little more swag. We didn’t have any life to start the game.”
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