Sixers vs. Celtics: 3 things to watch for in pivotal Game 2

2. Defense (again)

The Sixers’ defense was a mixed bag in Monday’s loss. Both Matisse Thybulle and Josh Richardson carried expectedly heavy loads on the perimeter — and did a mostly good job, even if Jayson Tatum managed to churn out 32 points. Both Richardson and Thybulle will need to answer the call again tonight.

Elsewhere, the Sixers were more compromised. Joel Embiid makes for a fine rim protector any night, but Philadelphia’s decision to play drop coverage led to countless wide-open looks for Daniel Theis on the perimeter. You can live with Theis 3s, but he plans to take more open shots moving forward. If he starts to find a rhythm, Philadelphia may have to adjust.

The extreme drop coverage Philadelphia unleashed in Game 1 also led to a bevy of open looks for Kemba Walker, which you cannot “live” with. Walker is one of the most dynamic pull-up shooters in basketball, and the absence of someone to meet him on the other side of screens could prove deadly — especially when someone like Al Horford garners the unfavorable switch.

You want Embiid functioning as a backstop — especially when you’re not confident in someone’s ability to contain the likes of Tatum or Brown on the perimeter — but at the end of the day, Walker is teetering on the brink of a 40-point explosion if the Sixers don’t gameplan more effectively.

Here’s how the matchups will look, similar to Game 1.

• Shake Milton –> Kemba Walker
• Josh Richardson –> Jayson Tatum
• Tobias Harris –> Marcus Smart
• Al Horford –> Jaylen Brown
• Joel Embiid –> Daniel Theis

You can expect Matisse Thybulle edge out Horford in minutes — again.