Three takeaways from the Boston Celtics 112-109 win over 76ers

Potential playoff matchup

We’re three games in, we’ve seen every new superstar iteration of the Philadelphia 76ers, and here we are: the Boston Celtics are up 3-0 in the season series. This is good for morality reasons, but with how tight the East is, this fact is important: Boston now has the tiebreaker if the teams end up with same record after 82 games.

Simply put, it looks like the 76ers have matchup issues with the Celtics. Joel Embiid has consistently gotten his during the regular season, averaging 26.7/13.3 in the past 3 games, but it often comes at the detriment of Philadelphia’s other stars.

Ben Simmons has yet to hit 20 points in a game against Boston this season. Jimmy Butler had a strong game on Tuesday, but struggled from the floor after taking 21 shots in his first matchup with the Celtics (as a 76er).

Tobias Harris didn’t impress in his first Boston game as a 76er, either, shooting 4-14 from the field and 0-6 from deep. His 10 points didn’t help Philly much, and neither did their bench unit, as the 76ers got 22 points from their non-starters. Hayward outscored that by himself off the bench.

Their depth once again exposed them, and the 76ers have yet to get all of their all-star calibre players clicking in the same game against the Celtics. These are problems that won’t go away in a 7-game series, and Philadelphia has to be nervous about dropping their first home game to Boston this season, with only one more chance to make a statement before the playoffs.

The Boston Celtics play again tonight against the Pistons on the second night of a back-to-back. Tip-off from the Garden is at approximately 7:30 p.m.