Philadelphia 76ers vs. Boston Celtics Live NBA Preseason Updates, Scores and Highlights

Last season, Joel Embiid did not complete his first dunk until Jan. 3. Call me a glass-half-full sucker, but I'm thinking he throws down his first jam of this season before the calendar flips to 2027.

And on that note, I bid you farewell. It's been real. And fun. Even real fun. Catch ya'll next time!

You have to respect Jaylen Brown's honesty here. Others would have tried to downplay the significance of facing their former team. Acting as if it won't be a caps-lock EVENT when he returns to TD Garden in the regular season would be inauthentic.

This raises a question: Why must we wait until Thursday, Jan. 21 to see the Celtics and Sixers square off in Boston?! They will face each other on Tuesday, Nov. 11 in Philly, but that won't carry the same emotional heft.

Shame on the NBA for not scheduling Brown's official return to Boston this side of Christmas Day.

Everyone in Philly's locker room feeling good about Peak Joel Embiid is hardly shocking. It'd be weird if anyone came out of this game demanding much more from him.

Are they ready to stomach his off-nights? Can they get him to a point in which more of these nights are the standard? Without his detonations coming at the expense of anyone else or the overarching offensive approach? And without overworking him to the point of increasing his injury risk?

Those are the questions we still can't answer.

Psych!

Who among us doesn't love a good dudebro relationship that's comfortable enough to engage in a little physical-appearance ribbing?

On a semi-related note: I would pay ungodly amounts of money to see Jaylen Brown say this to Joe Mazzulla.

On the one hand, the Sixers clearly have some synergy to hash out. Not everyone is ready for LeBron's passes. Embiid's handle and control can get a little lackadaisical. And it isn't always apparent what the Sixers are attempting to do with Jaylen Brown when 80 percent or more of the starting lineup is on the floor.

On the other hand, if this is what the Sixers' big names can do while being a work-in-progress, holy hell. Just imagine what might happen when they really get rolling.

...for now.

Let's circle back when the games start to matter, and Jaylen Brown is squaring off against the likes of Jayson Tatum and the dude who's replacing him (Paul George).

Ya think, Mr. Nurse?

The possibilities for this Sixers offense are endless if Embiid is moving like he did during the preseason finale. Playing through him gets easier, but it also allows him to operate within the larger ecosystem as a trailer, quick-fire shooter from the elbow or above the break and as a pump-and-driver who can keep the ball moving.

Statistically speaking, there might be better offenses. But the Sixers can mix-and-match their two-man games, matchup-hunting and transition attack more than any team in the league when rolling out their preferred starting five.

To be fair, that could remain true even if Embiid isn't operating at this level. On the other hand, the offense becomes an unsolvable juggernaut if this represents anything close to his new normal.

This comes as a relief after Dean Wade didn't play a lick in the second half. He remains too important to the Sixers' defensive versatility.

The small-ball lineup that roasted Boston to start the second-quarter, in particular, would struggle to operate without Wade.

Sometimes, getting plenty of highlights from your most important players counts just as much, if not more, as an actual victory. #PreseasonMath

By the way, Joel Embiid's movement in these clips stands out. Ditto for Tyrese Maxey's ability to play a two-man game with anyone on Planet Earth, including you, me and JaVale McGee.

Boston finishing plus-13 in offensive rebounds while outpacing Philly by 20 second-chance points on a night in which neither Mitchell Robinson nor Neemias Queta suited up is kind of insane.

We must all now bow down at the altar of Luka Garza (four offensive boards) and Gabe McGlothan (five).

Despite excellent games from Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey and solid performances from LeBron James and Jaylen Brown, the Sixers couldn't hold onto a double-digit lead in the final frame.

Credit the Celtics' backups (and backups to the backups) for hustling their butts off. They kept coaxing Labaron Philon Jr. into getting rid of the ball, thereby forcing others to make plays. Jameer Nelson Jr. made some, but Philly's offense largely vanished down the stretch.

Hugo González and Luka Garza also deserve tips of the cap for keeping Boston within striking distance. It looked like the score might get out of hand, but their performances helped stave off even more extended runs from Philly's core lineups.

FINAL SCORE: Celtics 125, Sixers 120

Boston grabbed the lead here, held Philly to five points in overtime and never looked back.

Philadelphia hasn't scored in roughly four minutes while Boston's third-stringers and fringe-roster guys are hooping. This one feels about over.

Score: Celtics 122, Sixers 117 | 37.9 seconds remaining in overtime

Justin Edwards couldn't down a game-winning three-point attempt, so we're headed to overtime here in Philly.

Congratulations to all the Celtics and Sixers fans out there! Unless, of course, you like getting to bed before 10 p.m. EST. In which case, I am sorry.

Score: Sixers 115, Celtics 115 | End of fourth quarter

Labaron Philon Jr. has at times looked like a fish out of water during the preseason. But then he goes and makes shots like this.

Between the handle, fearlessness attacking the rim and ability to space the floor, we could be having a "Should Labaron be playing over (healthy) Anfernee Simons?" conversation sooner than we think.

Score: Sixers 115, Celtics 113 | 1:30 remaining in the fourth quarter

Jabari Walker has been one of the most impressive Sixers players during the preseason. His shooting and rebounding and situational driving all continue to stand out.

With Philly short on size and healthy big men behind Joel Embiid, the 24-year-old will be in line for serious minutes if he continues playing like this.

It might not count toward the standings, but a trademark Joel Embiid detonation counts in our hearts.

In other news, with the Sixers' starters all officially done, the Celtics are staging a late-game comeback. At this rate, we might even get preseason overtime.

Score: Sixers 105, Celtics 102 | 5:16 remaining in the fourth quarter

Fortunately for the Celtics, Embiid is probably done for the night. Unfortunately for the Celtics, he compiled 27 points on 13 shots while taking 13 free throws before calling it quits.

Even when Embiid was struggling in the first half, Boston couldn't put properly sized bodies on him. Chris Cenac isn't anywhere near strong enough. On the bright side, the Celtics will usually have Neemias Queta and/or Mitchell Robinson at their disposal in these situations.

Score: Sixers 94, Celtics 84 | End of the third quarter

LeBron James took off his jersey during the latest timeout, so it looks like he's done for the night. But the Sixers are sticking with Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Jaylen Brown for the rest of the third.

These final minutes will be a nice peek into how the offense can maintain its verve without LeBron. He has done a great job pacing the team in transition. Now, the Sixers will juggle playing through Brown and Embiid, with Maxey filling in the gaps—and primarily responsible for getting them early-clock looks.

Score: Sixers 90, Celtics 79 | 2:00 remaining in the third quarter

Joel Embiid followed up this jam with another elbow jumper and is up to 23 points on 12 shots.

Nature really might be healing.

Score: Sixers 71, Celtics 62 | 8:40 remaining in the third quarter

This is what the peak Sixers experience could look like: Embiid-powered stops leading to LeBron assists in transition to a slashing Jaylen Brown or VJ Edgecombe or a spacing Tyrese Maxey.

If you're not at least highly intrigued, you're a suspicious individual.

LeBron James, Tyrese Maxey, Jaylen Brown and Joel Embiid, along with Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, are all back on the floor to start the second half against a completely different Celtics unit.

Sixers head coach Nick Nurse alluded to this usage earlier. Let's see if he gives the four regular starters an entire shift before shutting them down.

This isn't the prettiest Sixers performance you'll see, particularly from Joel Embiid. Each of his three turnovers has been fairly loud, and he's fallen on the floor a few too many times for comfort. Seven of his 16 points have come at the foul line, so for anyone worried he wouldn't continue to live at the charity stripe, you can rest easy.

Still, while the jumper hasn't looked great, Embiid knocked down a trail three as well as another look from the right elbow to close the half. If he's hitting these types of shots, the Sixers offense will verge on unguardable.

On Boston's end, both Hugo González (15 points, three assists) and Luka Garza (12 points, five rebounds) are standing out. They're providing steady doses of pressure and shot-making at the offensive end for a rotation that doesn't have much of it (by design).

Score: Sixers 60, Celtics 58 | End of the first half

We have seen glimpses of brilliance from the Sixers' offense, but their timing in transition is all over the place. LeBron has thrown at least two or three passes tonight his teammates clearly weren't expecting.

Boston's defense deserves a ton of credit. But a lack of familiarity (and, frankly, engagement) is fueling Philly's 11 first-half turnovers.

Score: Sixers 54, Celtics 54 | 1:11 remaining in the second quarter

LeBron-as-the-roller truthers are going to be thrilled.

This actually might be a look we get to see fairly often this season. The Sixers don't have a ton of bigs after Joel Embiid, particularly following the Ariel Hukporti injury. Using Dean Wade or a healthy Dominick Barlow as the nominal 5 on defense would open the door for even more LeBron-as-the-screener actions.

This lineup with LeBron (or Dean Wade) at center outscored the Celtics by seven points in under five minutes of action to start the second quarter. Feel free to overreact.

Score: Sixers 39, Celtics 38 | 7:31 remaining in the second quarter quarter

It turns out the Celtics have the league's best preseason defense for a reason. They are frenetic in the half-court and interchangeable at basically every spot. They've also forced seven Sixers turnovers in the first 12 minutes.

All the preseason caveats apply. But if Paul George and Jayson Tatum can hold up playing this style for the entire regular season, Boston is going to be a turnover-generating machine.

Score: Sixers 34, Celtics 28 | End of First Quarter

Hugo González did an excellent job pressuring the Sixers and getting the steal. He did an even better job convincing the refs that five to six steps is actually the same as two steps.

Neither team is shooting well from three right now, but they're both attempting to get out in transition and put pressure on the basket.

For their part, the Sixers are doing their darnedest to feature Embiid. He already has eight points on five shots and five three-throw attempts in the early going. Though he also has three turnovers to boot, he is moving pretty well with the ball in his hands.

Score: Celtics 25, 76ers 22 | 2:26 remaining in the first quarter quarter

What a sight to behold. I wonder if LeBron will give Maxey crap during the game break about the past being a little off target.

Score: Sixers 13, Celtics 12 | 6:45 remaining in the first quarter quarter

This is wild context. And I'm glad we have it.

Let's see if Gabe McGlothlan can help bridge this gap.

Something tells me the reception will be louder when LeBron and friends aren't going up against the [checks notes] Chris Cenac-led Celtics.

KCP's starting nod is good data collection for how head coach Nick Nurse might handle absences during the regular season.

Rolling with him tonight makes sense given VJ Edgecombe's importance to the front of the defense. It'll be interesting to see whether he or a healthy Dean Wade gets the go-ahead when it's LeBron (or Jaylen Brown) out of the lineup instead.

All the imaginary bonus points ever go to anyone who can identify more than two of these players without seeing the names on the back of their jerseys.

This would have marked just the second time Philly fielded its entire starting five. But after playing in all three of the Sixers' other three preseason tilts, VJ Edgecombe is getting the night off.

Although his absence is a bummer, his fit with the core fivesome remains the simplest. He has shown a willingness to cut, get out in transition, shoot off the catch and defend no matter who's on the floor.

If any wrinkles need to be ironed out, it's with the LeBron-Brown-Embiid trio. Balancing that could get finicky for stretches. For our sake, it at least gives us plenty to continue monitoring throughout this one.

So much for getting our first glimpse of Jaylen Brown vs. Jayson Tatum.

While the Sixers will be at close to full strength through the first half, it looks like the Celtics will be giving their non-core players a lion's share of the run. That puts a bit of a damper on Brown facing his former team, but it's still our first glimpse of him going up against at least some previous running mates.