3 observations: Joel Embiid, Sixers wrestle win away from Celtics

When it comes to rivalry games, they’re always tough and physical on both sides. When they have to play each other twice in a row, that physicality gets turned up just a bit more.

The Philadelphia 76ers and the Boston Celtics matched up again on Friday to finish up a quick two-game series at Wells Fargo Center and things got really chippy. There were hard fouls, there was arguing, and the intensity was turned up high.

In the end, the Sixers walked away with a 122-110 win with Joel Embiid leading the way scoring 38 points with 11 rebounds, Tobias Harris added 23 points on 10-for-12 shooting and eight rebounds, Seth Curry had 15 in his return, and Ben Simmons had 15 and 11 assists.

Here are the three observations in this one:

Embiid responding to adjustments

The Celtics continued to double the big fella in this one, but they did so a bit differently. They sent waves of defenders from different angles than they did on Wednesday and Embiid had to adjust a bit. His first possession of the game, he used his excellent footwork to get inside for a layup and he then was able to use his passing to pass some teammates open. He did get called for an offensive foul after an aggressive double from Jaylen Brown, but he responded well after. The officiating was spotty in this one, which was to be expected after Celtics guard Marcus Smart called Embiid out for flopping on Wednesday, and it took a lot of energy to be able to fight through it all in this one. Things boiled over in the third quarter as both sides were barking at the officials for calls and Embiid found himself on the floor quite a few times and he was incensed at not getting any calls. He did get into a groove in the third after those moments that helped the Sixers take the lead and he was emotional as ever as he led his team on the floor.

Seth's return

Curry returned to the floor for the first time since Jan. 6 and he got off to a hot start scoring eight points early and knocking down his first three shots, two from deep. His mere presence on the floor had Boston making regular adjustments to their defense. There was one play in the first quarter where Embiid and Curry worked a dribble handoff game and Curry walked into a jumper as the Celtics focused their defense on the big fella. He was a big part of the third-quarter run to help get the Sixers back in front as his shot-making in both the midrange and from deep. Just having him back out on the floor is a huge difference and it helps diversify the team’s offense a bit. Having another ball-handler like Curry who can light it up from deep is a huge aspect of this team’s offense that they missed in his absence.

Success of the bench

There was a stretch in the third quarter when Philadelphia rested both Embiid and Simmons and there was a lineup of Harris, Shake Milton, Matisse Thybulle, Dwight Howard, and Furkan Korkmaz to end the quarter. Instead of wilting against a battle-hardened Celtics team, that lineup responded well and it stretched Philadelphia’s lead to double-digits after one. Harris deserves a lot of credit for being as aggressive as he possibly can getting to the basket and he was knocking down good looks all night. Now that the Sixers have an almost full team back, minus Mike Scott and Vincent Poirier, they can show off the depth they have amassed besides their stars. The play of Curry, Milton, Harris, and others has been huge for their success at the beginning part of the season. Also, the benefits of having Embiid get as much rest as he can is obvious.