Philadelphia 76ers vs. Boston Celtics: Postgame Grades and Analysis

Both the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers entered Friday night’s contest with a 2-2 record to begin the season, but it’s the team from Philly who emerged victorious with a 106-100 win on the road.

The 76ers have been the NBA’s worst offensive team this season, averaging just 83.3 points before their contest against Boston. Those troubles continued early against the Celtics, but the team was able to prove it can put the ball in the bucket, scoring triple digits for the first time this year.

Boston is the team that first found the offensive touch in this one, but like its last two games against the Washington Wizards—one at home and one on the road—a hot start was erased early with a 15-4 run by the Sixers. Courtney Lee came out of the gate sinking three of his first four shots, but the rest of the Celtics were just 1-of-11 at one point, and the team went into the second quarter down three points.

The Sixers were the more efficient, more aggressive team in the first half, as evidenced by their 12-point lead going into halftime. The Celtics, however, came out in the third quarter more willing to attack the rim. Their offense looked better almost immediately, but their lack of defense is what gave Philadelphia an 83-74 lead heading into the final period.

The fourth quarter was back-and-forth when it came to momentum, but Philly was eventually able to pull away, as its lead from early in the game proved to be too much for Boston to overcome.

Point Guards

Rajon Rondo, PG, Boston: A

In a first quarter that was fairly forgettable for the Boston Celtics, Rajon Rondo came out and recorded two points on just 1-of-5 shooting. He would finish the first half with four points, but his eight assists were where his early impact was really felt.

The second half is where Rondo really started to take over the game. He came out in the third quarter and began pushing for more fast-break opportunities. A faster pace seemed to be in Boston's favor, as Rondo was brilliant finding his teammates in transition.

The point guard finished the game with 14 points and 20 assists.

Jrue Holiday, PG, Philadelphia: A

Jrue Holiday has been the Philadelphia 76ers’ undisputed leading scorer this season, but his role in this contest was that of a distributor. This doesn't mean that he wasn’t scoring, as he finished the game with 21 points—second behind Evan Turner—but his 14 assists are what really stood out.

Holiday is averaging 9.5 assists on the season, so his production in that department wasn’t a surprise Friday night. What was a surprise was how efficiently he was able to run the pick-and-roll against Boston's defense, which led to incredible success for the team in the paint.

Philadelphia also succeeded in transition against the Celtics, and Holiday’s willingness to push the offense to a faster pace was a big reason why.

Shooting Guards

Evan Turner, SG, Philadelphia: A

Evan Turner came out against the Celtics cold, but he quickly turned that around—along with the rest of the Sixers players—and began scoring the ball at a high rate early in the contest. He finished the first half as the team’s top scorer with 14 points.

Throughout the rest of the game, Turner established himself as the Sixers' go-to scorer. He finished with 25 points on 9-of-19 shooting, and he also made his impact felt on the glass, as he brought down 11 rebounds.

This kind of performance is what the Sixers and their fans hope to see on a regular basis, and if he can shoot as efficiently moving forward as he did Friday, he has a legitimate chance of becoming their No. 1 option.

Courtney Lee, SG, Boston: C-

Courtney Lee came out in the first quarter as one of the only players making his shots. Unfortunately for Lee, that production didn’t last long, as he was stuck on six points practically the entire game.

Despite his strong start, Lee virtually disappeared. On offense, he didn't touch the ball much beyond the first period, and he wasn't an integral part of the run that got Boston back in it in the third quarter. 

A strong start turned into an unimpressive finish, but it's not all the 2-guard's fault, as he was only given 18 and a half minutes the entire contest.

Small Forwards

Paul Pierce, SF, Boston: B+

Paul Pierce was as guilty as anybody on the Boston Celtics when it came to settling for jumpers early, but his aggression in the second half helped spur the comeback. With a willingness to attack the basket and get into the paint, Pierce showed leadership and he was able help spark the team's run.

That doesn't mean, however, that Pierce went away from his shot completely. He finished the night 2-of-3 from behind the three-point line, and he hit a number of timely jumpers that helped swing momentum back in the Celtics' direction.

The 14-year veteran finished the game with 24 points, four rebounds and five assists.

Thaddeus Young, SF, Philadelphia: B-

Thaddeus Young had a quiet, yet important presence in this game. He shot well from the field, had the third-most rebounds of any player on the roster and played a solid 40 minutes.

Young finished the game with points 15 on 7-of-13 shooting, but defensively, he couldn't stop Pierce from being Pierce late in the game. 

Power Forwards

Dorell Wright, PF, Philadelphia: C+

Dorell Wright may be shooting just 25.9 percent from behind the three-point line on the season, but he came out and shot well, hitting two of his three attempts from long distance against the Boston Celtics.

Unfortunately, Wright didn't always make the best play available, as he forced a couple of shots during a stretch where Boston's defense looked extra motivated.

Where Wright really stood out was in his hustle. The guy never seems to give up on a play, and Friday night was no exception.

Jared Sullinger, PF, Boston: F

Jared Sullinger started his third straight game for the Boston Celtics Friday, but he had a difficult time getting involved. He played just 19 minutes and didn't get much playing time during the stints that saw Boston attempting to come back. He did grab a few good rebounds early in the contest, but that was about it when it came to his contributions.

Defensively, we saw a couple of bad decisions from the rookie. Fouling a three-point shooter and being late on rotations were classic signs of a first-year player, but luckily for the forward, he is a smart player who has plenty of time to learn from his mistakes.

Center

Kevin Garnett, C, Boston: B+

Kevin Garnett had an extremely efficient first half, as he was one of the only Boston Celtics who was hitting his jump shots early in the game. 

Defensively, Garnett wasn’t doing his job in this one, as the Philadelphia 76ers were allowed to score 30 points in the paint—in the first half. He didn't have a tough assignment in Lavoy Allen, but the pick-and-roll offense that Philly ran led to a whole lot of looks in the paint. 

However, Garnett did manage to pull down 10 rebounds—even with his man spending time on the permiter—which is why he earns such a solid grade.

Lavoy Allen, C, Philadelphia: F

A big reason for the Philadelphia 76ers’ offensive struggles this season is because Andrew Bynum has yet to play a single minute due to an ongoing knee injury. Lavoy Allen has been forced to step in, and the team is clearly missing a go-to option on the low block.

Allen didn’t have much of an impact on this game, as he only recorded six points and four rebounds in just under 23 minutes of play.

Defensively, Allen didn’t do a good job of containing Garnett. He began the second half with solid energy and forced Garnett into a couple of bad attempts, but the Celtics’ big man was left open far too often, which was largely because of Allen’s lack of defense.

Sixth Man

Nick Young, SG, Philadelphia: B-

Nick Young started out hot in Friday's battle with Boston, beginning the game with a willingness to attack, and he was in double digits by the time the second quarter came to an end.

Young’s aggressiveness, which he demonstrated with a strong finish above the rim in transition midway through the second quarter, is what led to such production.

Unfortunately for Young, he wasn't able to do much in the second half. He never got off the 10-point mark he hit in the second quarter, and his effectiveness seemed to fade as the game went on.

Jason Terry, SG, Boston: B-

Brandon Bass may have been the Celtic who came off the bench and got it going early, but it was Jason Terry who made his presence felt in the three-point category late in the night. His one first-half point is part of the reason the team struggled early, but he made up the difference with 12 points in the second half.

Boston needed scoring heading into the fourth quarter, and Terry came in and did what he does best. He finished the game 2-of-4 from the behind the arc, and his 13 points helped the team make this game interesting late.

Terry hasn't been outstanding this season, but he's the type of player who can help turn a game like this in Boston's favor late in the year.

Bench

Boston Celtics: B-

The Boston Celtics’ bench came out of the gate slowly, missing its first seven shots and not hitting a field goal until the 7:32 mark in the second quarter. Fortunately for the team, that trend turned around in the second half, as the unit went on to score 33 points.

Jason Terry was strong in his offensive effort, but the other players worth mentioning are Brandon Bass and Chris Wilcox. On the stat sheet, Bass stood out with eight points. Wilcox only scored six points, but if anybody deserves credit for getting up and down the floor and providing toughness, it's the big man.

Unfortunately for Boston, it didn't get much out of Jeff Green or Leandro Barbosa.

Philadelphia 76ers: C+

The Philadelphia 76ers found bench production in multiple places, but unfortunately, they didn't have many to choose from.

The Sixers played just four players off their bench. Spencer Hawes was great in his effort, as he recorded eight points and six rebounds in 22 minutes of play, and Royal Ivey also played well, scoring six points on 2-of-4 shooting.

Arnett Moultrie was the only reserve not to score.