It is not known who did more damage to whom, if the Sixers game in the eyes of James Harden or if the look of James Harden to the concentration capacity of the Sixers. The truth is that Harden’s first presence in the band of his new team ended in catastrophe.
What a beating! Not just any beating, a historic beating! Full-fledged humiliation from the Celtics to the Sixers, two historic NBA players. The biggest blowout recorded in all meetings between Boston and Philaldephia: 48 points ahead following having a maximum of 51, and away!
The record from Celtics to Sixers was 37 points and dated from 1987. It has already rained. But what rained down on the team today Doc Rivers The opponent’s three-pointers were like hailstones… 25 three-pointers scored by the Celtics with a 55.6% success rate! Those 25 3-pointers are a franchise record. Up to 10 visiting players made at least one triple.
Boston started without Robert Williams IIIsaw how Al Horford committed his second foul following 3 minutes of play, leaving the team’s inside game very lame once morest the powerful Joel Embiidand suffered the setback of losing due to injury in the second quarter to Marcus Smart, coinciding with the best moment of the season for the player and the team. But none of those major inconveniences served to placate the barrage of basketball that fell on a dismal Sixers.
Harden’s outlandish attire, something of a Soho cultural beggar, did little to remove the spotlight from his teammates, who put on an awful match from start to finish. They started already losing 4-16, went into the break with a discouraging 42-69 and ended the third quarter falling unseemly by a tremendous 58-101. That was a massacre caused by a team, Celtics, who is in a state of grace.
Jaylen Brown He had already 26 points at the break with 5 of 5 from the triple. He finished the match with 29. Jayson Tatum accompanied him with 28 points, 12 rebounds and 6 assists, the young Nesmith joined the party with 18 points and newcomers Derrick White and Daniel Theis they played 28 and 20 minutes and are already important in the second unit.
Al Horford had 6 points and 9 rebounds in 20 minutes and Marcus Smart might only play 13 minutes. Smart twisted his ankle wrong in his melee with Joel Embiid. An injury that becomes less serious thanks to the signing of Derrick Whitebecause otherwise…
The Celtics are already very close to the Sixers (34-25, 34-23). He is because he has won his last 9 games and has won 11 of his last 12 games. The defense wins games and the team’s defense Udoka has grown exponentially at this point in the season. The coach, much criticized in the first part of the season, seems to start to fit the pieces of him.
Boston finished with 56.1% shooting from the field and left the Sixers at an awful 28.7%, a percentage that you can’t even go around the corner with.
Embiid had 19 points shooting far more free throws than he did from the field. He cut his streak, since he had 31 consecutive games without going below 25.
His 19 points seemed like a lot compared to the rest. second scorer, Tyrese Maxey with only 11. Tobias Harris lost, Matisse Thybulle denied from the triple, Paul Millsap playing 9 minutes with his new team (9 points) and collective disaster of maximum magnitude of some unknown Sixers.
Of course, if it were to be seen today, Harden wouldn’t exercise the player option on his contract even if they grabbed him by the throat. We will have to see what happens when he leaves his street habits, those strident outfits that leave no one indifferent, and he dresses in shorts with his new outfit.
