The 76ers and Celtics faced off Wednesday in the second showdown the worst two teams in the Atlantic division. The Sixers fell behind in the 1st quarter and would trail for the vast majority of the game. They had a chance for a comeback in the final minutes but ultimately the Sixers (15- 34) would lose 114-108 on their homecourt.
The Sixers were victorious in the first matchup between these teams. It took a buzzer-beater from Evan Turner to lift the Sixers in Boston. This time, the Sixers would have no last minute luck.
Philadelphia allowed the Celtics to score 34 points in the opening quarter as the Sixers trailed by 11 after the first period of play. The Sixers would take the lead after a make by James Anderson with 4:33 remaining in the half. However, the lead was short lived as Brandon Bass would return control of the game to Boston. Philly trailed 56-47 at the half.
The 76ers kept it close in the 3rd quarter until Jeff Green exploded and took the game over for Boston. Green scored 13 straight points for Boston as part of a 13-4 run. Brett Brown called a timeout, hoping to regroup after falling behind 83-71. After the timeout, the Sixers would end the period with an 11-5 run, capped by a 3/4 court heave by Tony Wroten. The final period would start with the Sixers only down by 6. Wroten helped Philly cut Boston's lead to 3 with over 9 minutes left, but the Celtics would not give up the lead easily. A layup and-1 from Sullinger off an assist from Rondo would push it back to a 7 point game with just over a minute left. Hollis Thompson hit a deep 3 and ET forced a tie up on defense to give the Sixers back the ball down by 4 with :32 seconds remaining. Unfortunately, Carter-Williams dribbled the ball off his foot and out of bounds to end the comeback hopes. The Sixers fell 114-108.
All 5 starters for Philly scored in double-figures, led by 20 from Thad Young. Spence grabbed 14 rebounds and blocked 3 shots to go with his 13 points. Wroten and Lavoy Allen contributed a lot off the bench; Wroten with 18 points and Allen with 10 points and 10 rebounds. MCW struggled with his shot, but finished with 11 points and 6 assists. Turner collected 6 rebounds and scored 12 points. Anderson, who only played 18 minutes due to injury, ended with 11 points and 4 boards. The 76ers scored 28 fast break points.
It was a close game in reality as well as statistically. The Celtics just edged out the rebounding battle, 48-47 and committed 15 turnovers compared to Philly's 16. Jeff Green scored 36 points and secured 8 rebounds. Rondo dished out 11 assists with his 8 points. Sullinger had another big game against the Sixers, scoring 19 with 18 rebounds while Bass added 18 points.
The Sixers will look to end their current 4-game skid against the Lakers (17-32) on Friday.
By: Matt Ryan
Philadelphia allowed the Celtics to score 34 points in the opening quarter as the Sixers trailed by 11 after the first period of play. The Sixers would take the lead after a make by James Anderson with 4:33 remaining in the half. However, the lead was short lived as Brandon Bass would return control of the game to Boston. Philly trailed 56-47 at the half.
The 76ers kept it close in the 3rd quarter until Jeff Green exploded and took the game over for Boston. Green scored 13 straight points for Boston as part of a 13-4 run. Brett Brown called a timeout, hoping to regroup after falling behind 83-71. After the timeout, the Sixers would end the period with an 11-5 run, capped by a 3/4 court heave by Tony Wroten. The final period would start with the Sixers only down by 6. Wroten helped Philly cut Boston's lead to 3 with over 9 minutes left, but the Celtics would not give up the lead easily. A layup and-1 from Sullinger off an assist from Rondo would push it back to a 7 point game with just over a minute left. Hollis Thompson hit a deep 3 and ET forced a tie up on defense to give the Sixers back the ball down by 4 with :32 seconds remaining. Unfortunately, Carter-Williams dribbled the ball off his foot and out of bounds to end the comeback hopes. The Sixers fell 114-108.
All 5 starters for Philly scored in double-figures, led by 20 from Thad Young. Spence grabbed 14 rebounds and blocked 3 shots to go with his 13 points. Wroten and Lavoy Allen contributed a lot off the bench; Wroten with 18 points and Allen with 10 points and 10 rebounds. MCW struggled with his shot, but finished with 11 points and 6 assists. Turner collected 6 rebounds and scored 12 points. Anderson, who only played 18 minutes due to injury, ended with 11 points and 4 boards. The 76ers scored 28 fast break points.
It was a close game in reality as well as statistically. The Celtics just edged out the rebounding battle, 48-47 and committed 15 turnovers compared to Philly's 16. Jeff Green scored 36 points and secured 8 rebounds. Rondo dished out 11 assists with his 8 points. Sullinger had another big game against the Sixers, scoring 19 with 18 rebounds while Bass added 18 points.
The Sixers will look to end their current 4-game skid against the Lakers (17-32) on Friday.
By: Matt Ryan