The Sixers hold off the Boston Celtics and secure a statement win behind the brilliant Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid

BOSTON – If the 76ers’ game against the defending champion Boston Celtics was a barometer of where they stood, the answer was clear after they posted a 118-114 victory at TD Garden on Christmas Day.

The Sixers have shown that they have the potential to be an elite team. They were solid in transition, had a balanced attack, built a 16-point lead and survived Boston’s comeback efforts. The win improved their record to 11-17 and marked the team’s eighth win in 11 games.

“I think we’ve hit a high ceiling,” Joel Embiid said. “It’s important that we do it together. I don’t think we played our best basketball, but Tyrese (Maxey) was great. I could have been better. (Paul George) could have been better and we’ll be better, and then our bench – Caleb (Martin) gave us a good boost. The bench was great, but I don’t think it was our best basketball, but we had a pretty good chance. So it’s about waiting for some luck and staying healthy.”

This win also showed a significant improvement from Saturday.

At that point, the Sixers, who were without Embiid, suffered a 27-point road loss to the East and NBA-leading Cleveland Cavaliers. They responded with a 111-106 win over the San Antonio Spurs on Monday at the Wells Fargo Center.

Then came the Christmas win over the Celtics (22-8), which served as a statement of sorts.

” READ MORE: The Sixers fend off the Boston Celtics and secure the clear victory behind the brilliant Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid

“We’re just figuring out roles and rotations, who’s in and who’s out,” coach Nick Nurse said. “The organization is a lot better… just the organization, the execution and things like that. And then I think our defense has certainly become a lot more physical and tougher. We give ourselves a chance because we can really defend a lot better.”

Paul George gave the Sixers a five-point lead with two foul throws with 6.2 seconds left. But Jaylen Brown responded with a three-pointer on the ensuing possession, cutting the deficit to two points. However, Embiid made two foul shots with 2.8 seconds left to give a four-point lead.

The Celtics turned the ball over on the ensuing possession.

The Sixers shot 19-for-19 from the foul line on a night where Maxey and Embiid showed why they were the highest-scoring duo in the NBA last season.

Maxey finished the game with a game-high 33 points and 12 assists along with three steals. He made 12 of 23 shots. This was a big improvement from last year’s Christmas game against the Miami Heat, when Maxey scored 12 points on 4-for-20 shooting. He made just one of his eight three-point attempts on the night and was held scoreless in the first half on 0-for-9 shooting.

On Wednesday, he became the first Sixer to finish Christmas with at least 30 points and 10 assists.

“It was cool,” Maxey said of his performance. “I had to rehab from last year. Last Christmas…I screwed up.”

He said last year’s game had been in the back of his mind for a long time.

” READ MORE: Sixers takeaways: Healthy Caleb Martin shines, Paul Georges shooting issues

“Trendon Watford always messes with me in Brooklyn and says, ‘Yeah, you played well, did all those great things in the playoffs and at the Garden,'” Maxey said. “‘But can you play well at Christmas if you want to be with your family?’ He calls me all the time and messes with me.”

Embiid scored 27 points and nine rebounds in the win. He made 4 of 5 threes.

George struggled mightily, scoring 12 points on 4-for-15 shooting – including missing all seven of his three-point attempts.

But Caleb Martin picked up the slack and continued his dominance against the Celtics. The Sixers forward scored 23 points on 8-for-11 shooting – including a season-high seven three-pointers. Martin has a knack for producing big plays against the Celtics with his former team, the Miami Heat.

However, Embiid had minor health issues before the game. While warming up, he fell over the rope on the sidelines. Lying on his back, Embiid reached out and grabbed his right ankle before standing up and continuing his warmup routine.

“I stepped on a guard (who was standing behind the rope) and just twisted it,” he said of his ankle.

That moment became a turning point for Embiid as the game came to a close. And nothing has bothered Maxey lately. He’s done a good job shooting the ball, as he’s only made 40.3% of his shots through the first 15 games of the season.

“He’s maybe a little more aggressive and assertive in his shots,” Nurse said. “I think he’s a good shooter through and through. The early start was a little rocky, but I probably thought he would shoot his way out of it. So he continues to do that.”

Maxey was aggressive early against the Celtics. He accounted for 70% of his team’s 30 points in the first quarter. He had 12 points on 5-for-10 shooting to go and four assists. Nine of Maxey’s teammates scored points through his assists.

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Led by Maxey, the Sixers built a 16-point lead in the second quarter. However, the Celtics responded with a 13-4 run to cut the deficit to five points with 42 seconds left before halftime. Maxey hit two free throws and Embiid sank a three-pointer in the final seconds to give the Sixers a 66-58 halftime lead.

Embiid was perfect in the second quarter, scoring 10 points on 4-for-4 shooting – including two three-pointers. Embiid and Maxey combined for just seven points on 1-for-6 shooting in the third quarter. George also missed all five of his shots during this time.

The Sixers trio’s shooting issues and the fact that Brown scored 14 points in the third quarter allowed Boston to get back into the game. The teams entered the fourth quarter tied at 82.

But he got going again in the fourth quarter. He scored three straight baskets to give the Sixers a 94-84 lead with 8:50 to play. The Celtics pulled within two points late, but the Sixers finished the game with foul shots.

“Honestly, any win is a good win for us right now,” Maxey said. “We knew this would be a tough test for us. I think the boys have really improved. … We had guys that played well; (KJ Martin) played really well and got out. Andre (Drummond) played solid and was out.

“So we knew some people had to step up. Reggie Jackson didn’t play for a minute, but he went out there and did a really good job. Kyle (Lowry) did a good job too.”