Sixers fend off Boston Celtics and secure statement win behind brilliance of Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid

BOSTON — If the 76ers’ game against the defending champion Boston Celtics was a barometer of where they stand, the answer was clear after registering a 118-114 Christmas Day victory at TD Garden.

The Sixers showed that they have the potential to be an elite team. They were solid in transition, had a balanced attack, built a 16-point lead, and weathered Boston’s comeback efforts. The victory improved their record to 11-17 and marked the team’s eighth victory in 11 games.

“I think we got a high ceiling,” Joel Embiid said. “It’s all about us pulling it together. I don’t think we played our best basketball, but Tyrese [Maxey] was great. I could’ve been better. [Paul George] could’ve been better and we will be better and then our bench was — Caleb [Martin] gave us a good boost. The bench was great, but I don’t think that was our best basketball, but we got a pretty good chance. So it’s all about waiting for some luck and staying healthy.”

This win also showed major improvement since Saturday.

That’s when the Sixers, who were without Embiid, suffered a 27-point road loss to the East- and NBA-leading Cleveland Cavaliers. They responded by defeating the San Antonio Spurs, 111-106, on Monday at the Wells Fargo Center.

Then came their Christmas Day victory over the Celtics (22-8), which served as a sort of statement.

» READ MORE: Sixers fend off Boston Celtics and secure statement win behind brilliance of Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid

“We just are finally figuring out roles and rotations, no matter who’s there and who isn’t,” coach Nick Nurse said. “The organization’s a lot better … just the organization, execution, things like that. And then I think our defense has certainly become a lot more physical and tough. We’re giving ourselves a chance because we’re really guarding way better.”

Paul George gave the Sixers a five-point cushion with a pair of foul shots with 6.2 seconds remaining. But Jaylen Brown responded with a three-pointer on the ensuing possession to close the gap to two points. However, Embiid made a pair of foul shots with 2.8 seconds left to give a four-point advantage.

The Celtics turned the ball over on the ensuing possession.

The Sixers were 19-for-19 from the foul line on an evening where Maxey and Embiid showed why they were the NBA’s top scoring duo last season.

Maxey finished with game highs of 33 points and 12 assists to go with three steals. He made 12 of 23 shots. This was a big improvement over last year’s Christmas game against the Miami Heat when Maxey scored 12 points on 4-for-20 shooting. He made just one of his eight three-point attempts that night, and was held scoreless on 0-for-9 shooting in the first half.

On Wednesday, he became the first Sixer to finish with at least 30 points and 10 assists on Christmas.

“It was cool,” Maxey said of his accomplishment. “I had to redeem myself from last year. Last year on Christmas … I stunk it up.”

He said last year’s game has been in the back of his mind for a long time.

» READ MORE: Sixers takeaways: Healthy Caleb Martin shines, Paul George's shooting woes

“Trendon Watford’s always messing with me in Brooklyn like, ‘Yeah, you’ve played good, done all these nice things in the playoffs and in the Garden,’ “ Maxey said. “‘But can you play good on Christmas when you want to be with your family?’ He calls me all the time messing with me.”

Embiid added 27 points and nine rebounds in the win. He made 4 of 5 three-pointers.

George struggled mightily, scoring 12 points on 4-for-15 shooting — including missing all seven of his three-point attempts.

But Caleb Martin took up the slack while continuing his dominance against the Celtics. The Sixers forward added 23 points on 8-for-11 shooting — including a season-high seven three-pointers. Martin has a knack for producing big games against the Celtics, doing so with his former team, the Miami Heat.

Embiid, however, did have a slight pregame health scare. While warming up, he fell over the rope along the perimeter of the court. Lying on his back, Embiid reached out and grabbed his right ankle before rising to his feet and continuing his warm-up routine.

“I stepped on a security guard [standing behind the rope] and just twisted it,” he said of his ankle.

That moment became a blip for Embiid once the game tipped off. And nothing has bothered Maxey as of late. He has done a solid job of shooting the ball since making just 40.3% of his shots in the first 15 games of the season.

“He’s maybe a little bit more aggressive and more assertive in the shots he’s taking,” Nurse said. “I think he’s certainly a good shooter through and through. A little bit of a rough early start, but I probably thought he was going to shoot his way out of that. So he continues to do that.”

Maxey was aggressive at the start against the Celtics. He accounted for 70% of his team’s 30 first-quarter points. He had 12 points on 5-for-10 shooting to go with four assists. Nine of Maxey’s teammates scored points off his assists.

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With Maxey leading the way, the Sixers built a 16-point lead in the second quarter. However, the Celtics responded with a 13-4 run to close the gap to five points with 42 seconds left before intermission. Maxey hit a pair of free throws and Embiid sank a three-pointer in the closing seconds to give the Sixers a 66-58 halftime lead.

Embiid was perfect in the second quarter, scoring 10 points on 4-for-4 shooting — including two three-pointers. Embiid and Maxey combined for just seven points on 1-for-6 shooting in the third quarter. George also missed all five of his shots during the time.

The Sixers trio’s shooting woes combined with Brown scoring 14 third-quarter points enabled Boston to get back into the game. The teams went into the fourth quarter tied at 82.

But got back into the groove in the fourth quarter. He scored three straight baskets to give the Sixers a 94-84 lead with 8:50 to play. The Celtics pulled within two points late, but the Sixers ended the game with clutch foul shots.

“Any win for us right now is a good win, honestly,” Maxey said. “We knew this was going to be a tough test for us. I think guys really stepped up. … We had guys out who’ve been playing well; [KJ Martin has] been playing really good and he was out. Andre [Drummond has] been playing solid and he was out.

“So we knew some guys had to step up. Reggie Jackson hasn’t played in a minute, but he went out there and did a really good job. Kyle [Lowry] did a good job as well.”