Sixers lose 114-102 to Boston Celtics in Game 3, exposing their inconsistencies once again

The opening game of this series showed what the 76ers could be. The second revealed what they are. And in Game 3, they were back to showing potential, just not enough to win a championship.

As much as they upgraded their personnel last offseason and at the trade deadline, these Sixers still have no idea which version of their team will show up in a big moment. It’s a reality that reared its head in a 114-102 loss to the Boston Celtics on Friday night at the Wells Fargo Center. They were booed by the sellout crowd at the conclusion of Game 3 of their best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinal series, in which Boston regained the home-court advantage.

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“For us to win, and I said it all season, I said we have to be almost perfect for us to win,” Sixers center Joel Embiid said. “We don’t have a lot of margins for error. Everybody has to show up and do their jobs, and that starts with me.”

With Embiid receiving his MVP trophy before the game, the Sixers had momentum that could’ve been carried to a 2-1 series advantage. Instead, they trail heading into Sunday’s 3:30 p.m. Game 4, also at home. The odds aren’t in the Sixers’ favor as 79% of conference semifinals Game 3 winners have gone on to win the series. But the Sixers still have hope. They know firsthand how a series can change.

They lost second-round series to the Atlanta Hawks in 2021 and the Toronto Raptors in 2019 after leading 2-1. The Sixers went on to lose Games 4 and 5 in both series. So the key is playing better than they did Friday night. And it all starts with James Harden.

The Sixers point guard looked nothing like the guy who torched the Celtics for 45 points in Game 1. Harden finished with 16 points, 11 assists, six rebounds and five turnovers. The 33-year-old looked slow and, at times, unsure of himself.

Harden’s lack of speed was noticeable as he couldn’t keep up with the Celtics. He even passed up some shot opportunities. The 10-time All-Star made just 3 of 14 shots. He’s shooting a combined 5-for-28 in Games 2 and 3.

“I don’t know,” Harden said when asked if he could’ve taken some shots he passed up inside the paint. “I got to watch the game. But I’m pretty good on basketball instincts. I know when to score and I know when to pass. So I’m pretty sure a lot of them was the right play.”

So was there anything the Celtics did to impact his game?

“Nope,” Harden said.

» READ MORE: Joel Embiid accepts MVP trophy in front of Sixers fans at the Wells Fargo Center

But Embiid has an idea of how to help his teammate after his latest struggle.

“You just talk to him, and you just keep telling him to keep shooting, and be aggressive,” Embiid said. “That’s why you can’t get too high, and you can’t get too low. Some nights you are going to make a lot of shots, a lot of tough ones. And some nights you are not going to make them. So it’s about finding other ways to impact the game.”

Tyrese Maxey also needs to play better for the Sixers to have any opportunity to win this series. He had 13 points on 4-for-16 shooting along with six rebounds and two blocks.

P.J. Tucker played with grit on his 38th birthday, a day he was mourning the loss of his mentor, Lance Blanks, a former NBA player and executive who died at 56. Tucker had nine points while making a season-high three three-pointers. Tobias Harris finished with seven points on 3-for-6 shooting. Georges Niang’s 10 points were highlighted by two second-half three-pointers. And De’Anthony Melton was clutch, finishing with four steals and one block to go with 14 points and eight rebounds.

But for much of the night, the Sixers got a solid performance from Embiid and not much else. The newly minted MVP finished with game-highs of 30 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks.

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Yet the Sixers were only down 100-96 after Embiid’s putback with 3 minutes, 51 seconds remaining. But former Sixer Al Horford responded with a three-pointer on the ensuing possession to stretch the Celtics’ lead to seven points 26 seconds later.

Poor shooting and an inability to get timely shots were too much to overcome. The Sixers shot well from the foul line, making 24 of 27. However, they shot just 39.7% from the field.

Said Harden: “We didn’t play well offensively. Simple.”

While Embiid was elated to receive his MVP award, a victory would have made his night better.

“It’s hard for me to sit here and think about winning that when you are down 2-1,” he said, “and you are just trying to find ways that you can help win games, trying to bring your teammates along.

“I think that’s the next step for me to just help everybody else. ... I got to make the right plays. I think I’m doing it, but I can’t shoot it for them. So we all got to be on the same page. For us to win, we have to be almost perfect.”