Sixers lose to Celtics in preseason again as Joel Embiid, James Harden sit out

Perhaps the loudest cheers from the Wells Fargo Center crowd Wednesday night came for the team across the parking lot, when updates from the Phillies’ 10-2 playoff rout of the Atlanta Braves flashed across the video board. “Dancing on My Own” serenaded those fans during a third-quarter timeout, just after the score went final.

Such is life while witnessing a 76ers-Celtics preseason rematch — which the Sixers lost, 112-101, to fall to 0-2 in exhibition play — that was missing its biggest stars on both sides and that coach Nick Nurse said lacked rhythm and flow.

“A night where we didn’t look very good,” Nurse said. “... That was more what I thought would happen the first [game] with the offense, and it kind of got to us tonight with a few lineup changes.”

The Sixers’ Joel Embiid, the NBA’s reigning Most Valuable Player, and James Harden, who wants to be traded and briefly held out at the start of training camp last week, are not injured but missed their second consecutive preseason game while physically ramping up for the Oct. 26 regular-season opener at the Milwaukee Bucks. Boston played without All-Stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.

When Nurse was asked during his pregame news conference if it is a “fair expectation” that Embiid and Harden will be ready to play in Monday’s preseason game at the Brooklyn Nets, he said, “Yeah, I think so” but added, “I’m not so sure I would put any money on it.”

» READ MORE: Sixers assistant Rico Hines shares secret behind his summer runs and development of young talent

Instead, newcomer Kelly Oubre Jr. (18 points on 6-of-8 shooting) along with Tyrese Maxey (17 points, three rebounds, three assists, two steals) paced the Sixers on a night when they trailed by as many as 20 points. The Sixers defense, meanwhile, was leakier than in Sunday’s matchup between these two teams, allowing the Celtics to shoot 56.1% from the floor in the first half, including 12-of-24 from three-point range.

Embiid’s absence put Paul Reed back in the starting lineup for an outing when he finished with 10 points, seven rebounds, five assists, and two steals. But his impact ranged from active, to head-scratching.

In the game’s opening minutes, he missed a three-pointer and a shot under the basket, but recorded two assists to Maxey and picked up a steal and a block. Later, scored six quick points near the top of the third quarter, before finding Oubre for an alley-oop finish.

“[He] found a few little angles to make some finishes that he didn’t find the other night,” Nurse said of Reed. “... I want him to be aggressive. I think he’s finding himself with the ball out there. He’s trying to drive it here and there.

“For him, it’s opportunities. It’s chances to try to work on some things, and at least I think he found a few kind of his ‘sneaky’ baskets that he made tonight, and that’s good to see.”

Reed, however, offered a list of self-critiques, including that he wants to start games with more energy, screen and roll better, and be a more impactful defender.

“Ain’t nothing wrong with those shots I took tonight,” Reed said. “But at the same time, I feel like, if I just do what I normally do and just play my brand of basketball, things will go well. Just keep it simple. I don’t have to force shots, just because I know I’m not the best shooter on the team right now, and I know that we can get better shots.

“I’m not scared to shoot the ball, but at the same time, I understand where we’re at as a team and who we got on the court and the type or shot selections that will help us win games, ultimately. … Maybe I might have a good shot, but one of my teammates has a great shot. I’m not scared to make that pass.”

Mo Bamba finished with zero points on 0-of-4 shooting and three rebounds in 15 minutes in his second consecutive subpar outing as the backup center, while P.J. Tucker (zero points, three rebounds, two steals) played a stretch as the small-ball center in the second quarter. Filip Petrusev took over at that spot in the fourth quarter.

Sam Cassell walked out of the tunnel and immediately found Sixers staffers overseeing pregame warmups. He pulled Reed aside for a chat near the bench. But Cassell was wearing green instead of blue, after the former assistant to Doc Rivers took a job on the Celtics staff when the Sixers made their coaching change last spring.

Boston coach Joe Mazzulla called Cassell “a really, really unique guy” because of his lengthy and successful playing career, including on the 2008 Celtics title team.

“He’s a guy that can reach all levels of the bench,” Mazzulla said before the game, “because he won a championship as a rookie, and he won a championship in his last year of playing. So he’s seen both sides of the NBA. If you sit on an NBA bench, he can sit in every seat and talk to a guy and he’s been through that situation.

“So he’s one of the more important culture-bearers, just because of all that experience. And he played for us, so he knows what it’s like. We’re going to really rely on him for that.”