Joel Embiid, Maxey Impress NBA Fans as 76ers Upset Jayson Tatum, Celtics on Christmas

Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers happily played the "Grinch" role at TD Garden on Christmas Day.

Amid plenty of boos from the Boston crowd, Philadelphia was able to defeat the hometown Celtics 118-114 to improve to 11-17 on the season and pick up some positive momentum as they approach the new year.

The 76ers held a 66-58 halftime lead but a 24-16 advantage towards the Celtics in the third quarter made gave the game some new life. Philadelphia would then secure a 15-point lead in the final quarter, but an 11-0 run from Boston late in the game made it tight once again.

However, some clutch free throw shooting from Embiid and Paul George kept Philadelphia ahead and allowed it to secure the crucial win.

Tyrese Maxey led all scorers with 33 points while Embiid had 27 and Caleb Martin had 23. The Celtics were led by Jayson Tatum's 32 points while Jaylen Brown had 23.

Fans took to social media to praise the 76ers effort and declare that the team is back from its slow start to the season.

The 76ers have won two games in a row and eight of their last 11 as the push toward playoff contention. Philadelphia is currently 11th in the Eastern Conference and are two games behind the 10th place Detroit Pistons.

Philadelphia will face the Utah Jazz and the Portland Trail Blazers to round off their 2024 slate. They will also face Boston three more times during the regular season, the next of which comes on Feb. 2.