Al Horford Leads Kyrie Irving-Less Celtics Past Ben Simmons, 76ers
Gordon Hayward led all scorers with 26 points as the Boston Celtics beat the Philadelphia 76ers 112-109 Tuesday at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.
Al Horford had 23 points, eight rebounds, five assists and four steals for the C's, and Jayson Tatum added a 20-point, 10-rebound double-double.
Joel Embiid led the 36-21 76ers with 23 points and 14 rebounds. Jimmy Butler contributed 22 points and nine boards, and Ben Simmons had 16 points, five rebounds and five assists.
The Celtics, who are also 36-21, are now tied for fourth place in the Eastern Conference standings with Philadelphia.
Boston was without All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving, who suffered a right knee sprain against the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, Irving is "day-to-day."
Celtics Are 76ers' Worst Possible Playoffs Matchup
The Celtics were seven-point road underdogs entering Tuesday, according to Vegas Insider. They were without their lone All-Star and facing a 76ers team at full strength.
Those facts didn't matter as the C's moved to 10-2 against the 76ers since the beginning of last season with their three-point win.
Granted, the composition of the two teams hasn't always been the same since the beginning of the 2017-18 season. Of note, Jimmy Butler joined the 76ers in November, and Tobias Harris was traded to Philadelphia in February.
But the results were more of the same Tuesday.
Once again, Horford won his battle down low with Embiid. The former Florida Gator, who averaged 15.4 points (on 56.4 percent shooting), 8.6 rebounds and 3.4 assists in Boston's five-game conference semifinal series win against Philadelphia last season, was dominant on both ends of the floor.
His court vision was excellent, like on this pass to an open Marcus Morris in the paint.
CSN Philly analyst Dei Lynam called the Horford-Embiid matchup in favor of Horford after three quarters:
Embiid finished with 23 points but did so on 9-of-22 shooting. Simmons explained why the Celtics have defended Embiid well, an effort in which Horford has played a big part:
But the 76ers face more issues than Horford down low.
Simmons has done better against the C's this season, but in the playoffs last year, he scored just 14.4 points per game on 47.5 percent shooting.
The Boston bench runs deeper than the Philadelphia second unit, with Hayward and 2018 playoff heroes Terry Rozier and Jaylen Brown leading the way.
And once Irving is back, there's isn't a scorer on either side who can explode offensively like the eight-year veteran, who dropped 40 on Philadelphia on Christmas Day.
Ultimately, the Celtics are the 76ers' kryptonite. The edge goes to Boston in a potential first-round matchup.
Gordon Hayward Can Make Celtics' Regular-Season Struggles a Distant Memory
The Celtics are a respectable 36-21, but based on their inconsistent results and occasional postgame comments, it sometimes feels like they are far lower in the standings.
Alas, they're a shoo-in for the Eastern Conference playoffs, where a top-five seed is all but assured. But championship aspirations have dwindled as the C's have endured a roller-coaster ride of a season that has included a loss to the 11-win Phoenix Suns at its low point and three victories over Philadelphia at the other end.
But there is one X-factor off the bench who can erase all of the bad memories in this year's regular season, and that's Hayward.
Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated said Hayward is "such a wild card for Boston in the playoffs," and it's hard to disagree.
Unsurprisingly, the team is far better when Hayward is in a groove. Per Basketball Reference, the C's are 15-3 when Hayward scored 14 or more points. They're 10-0 when he shoots 57 percent or better and 16-2 when he makes at least half of his shots.
The good news is that Hayward is heating up.
Positive Residual also explained how Hayward's efficient shooting positively affected the C's.
Hayward is making a remarkable comeback from a broken leg that sidelined him for all but five minutes last season. He understandably battled some rust off the bat, but he's shown signs of his All-Star self recently.
If the C's now have the Hayward from the end of his Utah Jazz days coming off the bench, then that will be a considerable problem for the rest of the league.
It was for the 76ers on Tuesday, as the Philadelphia reserves were outscored by Hayward 26-22 alone. Provided Hayward continues producing similar games, the 76ers won't be the only team facing a significant problem.
What's Next?
Both teams play Wednesday. The C's will host the Detroit Pistons, and the 76ers will face the New York Knicks in Madison Square Garden.
