Sixers Lose Opener, Face Uphill Battle

0:00On April 19th, the Philadelphia 76ers kicked off their playoffs as the number 7 seed, facing the Boston Celtics in game 1 on Sunday. Afternoon, but it was a rough start without Joel Embede, who's still recovering from that appendectomy on April 9th. The 6ers entered as huge underdogs and got dominated, dropping a 123-91 decision, giving Boston a 1-0 series lead. The Celtics came out firing, building a lead up to 35 points, with Jason Tatum dropping 25 points, 11 boards and 7, assists, while Jalen Brown added 26 points. For Philly, Tyreece Maxie led with 21 points and 8 assists, Paul George had 17, and Vijay Edgecomb shipped in 13 off the bench. Players had a mixed bag, but mostly tough nights. Maxie got hunted defensively and struggled from deep. Edgecomb couldn't find rhythm in his playoff. Debut, and Biggs like Autumn Bona and Andre Drummond, picked up quick fowls without much impact.

1:00Bright spots came from George hitting free throws, and Justin Edwards sparking the bench early. Grades reflected the struggle, mostly seas and d's across the board, with George and Edwards earning B-minuses for keeping things moving. Defensively, Philly couldn't stop Boston's runs and turnovers her bad. Game 2 hits Tuesday, so the 6ers got to watch film, tighten up, and find a way to respond before this series slips away. Stay locked in with Boston Celtics News. Today, AI, Powered Updates.