National Basketball Association
Philadelphia 118, Boston 114
When: 5:00 PM ET, Wednesday, December 25, 2024
Where: TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
Officials: #54 Ray Acosta, #58 Josh Tiven, #32 Marat Kogut
Attendance: 19156

Tyrese Maxey collected 33 points and 12 assists to lead the visiting Philadelphia 76ers to a 118-114 victory over the Boston Celtics on Wednesday.

The 76ers received 27 points and nine rebounds from Joel Embiid and 23 points from Caleb Martin, who made 7 of 9 3-point attempts.

The Celtics, who trailed by 15 in the fourth quarter, trimmed their deficit to 116-114 with 4.9 seconds to play, but Embiid made two free throws to put the 76ers up by four with 2.8 seconds left. Philadelphia has won six of its past eight games.

Jayson Tatum led Boston in points (32) and rebounds (15). Jaylen Brown added 23 points and seven rebounds but shot 10 of 23 from the field. Payton Pritchard missed all eight of his 3-point attempts.

Boston, which was coming off a 108-104 setback against the Orlando Magic on Monday, lost back-to-back games for the first time this season.

Jrue Holiday didn't play for Boston because of a right shoulder impingement. The Celtics also played most of the game without Kristaps Porzingis, who sustained a left ankle injury and didn't play in the second half.

Philadelphia was without Andre Drummond (sprained left toe), who missed a game for the first time since Dec. 4. Drummond leads the 76ers in rebounding (8.0 boards per game).

The 76ers had a 30-25 advantage after one quarter and stretched the lead to 52-36 after a Paul George dunk capped a 17-2 run with 5:22 remaining in the first half. Philadelphia had a 66-58 halftime lead even though the Celtics made 13 of their 28 3-point attempts in the first two quarters.

Boston tied the contest, 74-74, on a Brown 3-pointer and took a 78-76 lead on a Tatum jumper with 4:03 left in the third quarter. The Celtics led by as many as four points in the frame, but it was 82-82 entering the fourth.

Philadelphia began the final quarter with a 12-2 spurt and led 94-84 after a Maxey jump shot with 8:50 to play. The 76ers extended their lead to 103-88 on a Martin 3-pointer with 6:37 left.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Philadelphia   Boston
Tyrese Maxey 33 Scoring Jayson Tatum 32
Tyrese Maxey 12 Assists Payton Pritchard 5
Joel Embiid 9 Rebounds Jayson Tatum 15
Joel Embiid 7 Free Throws Made Jayson Tatum 6
Paul George 3 Steals Jaylen Brown 2
Kelly Oubre Jr. 2 Blocks Luke Kornet 2
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Philadelphia 118 46.6 17-40 19-19 28 39 5 10 6
Boston 114 45.3 20-49 8-13 24 51 4 3 13
Upcoming Games
  • Boston will play their next game at home against Indiana. The Celtics have a W/L % of .682 after a win and .875 after a loss.
  • Philadelphia will play their next game on the road against Utah. The 76ers have a W/L % of .400 after a win and .389 after a loss.