Celtics 76ers recap

The Celtics edged out a 109-108 nailbiter over the 76ers to hand them their first loss of the season. It was a back-and-forth game with a wild comeback that nearly ended in catastrophe for the Celtics, but they managed to survive. 
Jaylen Brown and Payton Pritchard came out swinging, hitting 8 of the team's first 9 shots, all from the mid-range. A stark contrast to the three-point variety we have typically seen. 
After the first quarter, Boston led 38-25. The offense was playing near perfectly; whether it was the ball movement or getting out on the fast break, the Celtics were getting easy points early on. 
At one point in the second quarter, the Celtics led by 24 points, but the 76ers were able to cut the lead down to 11, ending the quarter on a 17-4 run. 
The 76ers were able to grab 5 offensive rebounds in the 2nd quarter alone, which prevented the Celtics from getting the easy fast-break points they were getting in the first and allowed for the 76ers to get 9 second-chance points to keep them in the game. 
In the third quarter, the offense had slowed down significantly, scoring just 21 points on 31% shooting. The 76ers began the quarter 15-4 and had come all the way back to tie the game. It now looked like the Celtics had lost all the momentum. They managed to keep their heads above water, but now the game was a dogfight. 
The 4th quarter was much of the same, scoring just 20 points on 33% shooting. Offensively, things had completely stagnated, and the defense allowed multiple easy looks to give the 76ers a chance at the lead. 
With the game on the line, Jaylen Brown and Josh Minott each had a chance to ice the game with free throws but went 1/4. On the final play of the game, the defensive rotations were perfect, never giving Tyrese Maxey space to even get the ball. Joel Embiid finally got the ball and missed the shot after time expired, giving the Celtics their 3rd straight win. 
                              The good
Jaylen Brown continues his excellent play, scoring 32 points on 13/19 shooting. Brown came out firing early, scoring 16 points on 7/8 shooting in the first quarter, setting the tone and giving the Celtics a big lead early. 
Along with Jaylen Brown, Payton Pritchard and Anfernee Simons both came out firing early, scoring 29 total first-half points.
The rebounding was once again huge, recording 16 offensive rebounds for 17 second-chance points. On the other side of this, the 76ers recorded just 9 offensive rebounds, which allowed the Celtics to get into transition all game, scoring 19 fast-break points. 
On defense, they held the 76ers to just 108 points while forcing 18 turnovers for 25 points off turnovers. For the game, the Celtics recorded 8 steals and 7 blocks. 
Rookie Hugo Gonzalez continues to shine in limited minutes, recording two steals and making multiple high-effort plays on defense. 
                                The bad

While the Celtics played well in the first half, they nearly blew it with sloppy offense in the second half. They reverted back to playing in isolation, rather than the quick ball movement and fast break that built them the big lead. 
Anfernee Simons, Derrick White, and Payton Pritchard were awful in the second half, shooting just 4/25 in the second half. This wild swing of inconsistency from the backcourt was a huge reason that the offense was so stagnant in the second half. 
Fouling was once again a problem, committing 24 personal fouls for the game, which led to 29 free-throw attempts for the 76ers. The Celtics shot 23 more shots than the 76ers but still found themselves in a wire-to-wire game because of the free-throw disparity. 
          Conclusion
This was a great win that once again showed the potential of this team but also revealed some fatal flaws. The Celtics now sit at 6th place in the Eastern Conference, riding a 3-game winning streak. They will face the Houston Rockets at home tonight, looking to continue this winning streak against a very good opponent.