Harsh reality dooms 76ers as Celtics make them realize what they don't have

With less than three minutes left in the third quarter, Celtics forward Sam Hauser misfired on a three-point attempt. Philadelphia 76ers guard Ricky Council IV skied for the rebound and ran down the floor for an easy layup that gave the hosts a 26-point lead as the arena was buzzing with cheers… until it wasn’t.

The Philadelphia 76ers (19-29) fell to the Boston Celtics (35-15) 118-110 at Wells Fargo Center Sunday night. After being out-scored 38-16 in the final frame, Philadelphia dropped its second consecutive game, which leaves the question, what led to this collapse?

Breaking down Philadelphia's collapse

Throughout the first 36 minutes, the still undermanned 76ers were playing with great cohesion that led to sharp defensive execution and stellar ball movement. Philly’s two-way dominance enabled it to shoot 56 percent from beyond the arc throughout three quarters. Meanwhile, the Celtics shot just 25.9 percent from deep in the first half, which allowed the 76ers to get easy transition opportunities. 

However, Boston’s shooting fortune would change in the fourth period, where it shot 8-12 from deep. Leading up to the final 12 minutes, Philadelphia found success from over-helping on drives and running zone defense. The 76ers continued with this strategy in the fourth quarter, but the Celtics flipped a switch with vital contributions from forward Jayson Tatum.

Tatum led all scorers with 35 points on 78.8 percent true-shooting, 11 assists, and seven rebounds. Thirteen of his points were tallied in the final frame where he shot 3-4 from three. Tatum effortlessly stepped into threes that Philadelphia inadequately contested. When the 76ers sent a double team, he used his gravity to create for others, most notably Hauser (12 points).

The fourth quarter was an entirely different story for Tyrese Maxey, who notched 34 points on 65.8 percent true-shooting along with six assists. The one-time all-star scored just two points on 0-4 shooting from the field in the period. The Celtics aggressively doubled him on the perimeter and implemented great ball denial when he tried to cut.

Boston essentially forced anyone else but Maxey to beat them down the stretch and it worked to perfection as Philadelphia shot 27.8 percent from the field in the fourth period. While the 76ers have shown great determination this past week, there was no escaping the glaring talent disparity in this matchup.

The Celtics were at full strength aside from guard Payton Pritchard (non-covid illness), while the 76ers were missing seven players, including stars Joel Embiid and Paul George. Philadelphia has proven that it can compete with anyone amidst an unfathomable stretch of injuries, but tonight, it simply wasn’t enough.