Getty Enes Freedom, Boston Celtics
It’s far from an ideal scenario when three of your big’s are on the injury report, and your team is facing one of the best centers in the NBA. And that’s precisely where the Boston Celtics found themselves during their December 20 game against the Philadelphia 76ers.
Al Horford, Grant Williams, and Robert Williams were all on the injury report, kept out of the game due to the league’s health and safety protocols. Head coach Ime Udoka was left with little choice but to start Enes Freedom and give him 40 minutes of playing time.
So, it should come as no surprise to find out that Joel Embiid had himself a night when it comes to scoring the ball. In 40 minutes of play, the Sixers star big man dropped 41 points, pulled down 10 rebounds, hit five assists, and garnered two steals. Sure, defense is a team game, and slowing down Embiid was everybody’s responsibility, but it sure doesn’t help when your best three big’s are all out at the same time.
“Embiid made some tough baskets on us. He hit some incredible shots, to be honest. And offensively we didn’t execute as well as we would have liked to down the stretch,” Jaylen Brown told the media after the game.
Udoka Unimpressed by Celtics’ Defense
Obviously, the Celtics’ coaching staff had a game plan to stop Embiid, or at least slow him down a little. Of course, the lack of personnel likely hindered plan, but if the team had executed at a high level, perhaps they could contain the imposing center.
“We started out with the game plan that we wanted to guard him one-on-one with heavy digs. And he just took advantage of those matchups,” Brown explained when detailing how the Celtics wanted to guard Embiid.
Udoka also spoke on how he wanted his team to guard the Sixers star player but was left lamenting the lack of execution and urgency within his team’s play, “We were living with the contested two’s and making plays there. Started going after him more in the fourth quarter, once we got Curry under control, a little bit better there. In the end, I think our rotations were a little bit slow behind that, and we were pretty much gonna take the ball out of his hands; we had forced a few turnovers on prior plays.”
According to NBA Stats, 62.9% of Embiid’s shots came with a defender 4+ feet away from him, which would qualify as either open or wide-open depending on distance. It was clear the Celtics were trying to deny Embiid the ball or live with him taking mid-range jumpers with defenders flying into close-outs on him. Unfortunately, the 7-foot center had one of those nights where the tough shots found the bottom of the basket.
“We, to some extent, defending him, ok. He was taking some tough twos. We didn’t love some of the clips at half-time where there were no bodies there, just him and Enes one-on-one, and I think we cleaned that up and started getting more aggressive on him,” Udoka said.
Boston Remained Competitive Despite Injury Issues
You can point to Embiid’s high-scoring numbers or how Tobias Harris caused the Celtics defense problems. You can even point towards the final score as an indictment of the issues currently facing the Celtics roster – issues that have been apparent all season.
We’re all too aware of how the Celtics tend to fade in the final quarter of close games or how they get sloppy early and put themselves into a hole. But, against the Sixers, the Celtics fought on every possession and even managed to take the lead for a while.
Sure, all the effort in the world doesn’t change the final result, but this was a team relying on its fourth-string big-man to guard one of the most elite centers in the NBA. To lose a game like this, where your team’s biggest weakness is the opponent’s greatest strength.
But the Celtics fought until the very end, and that’s what fans have been calling for from this team all season. Now, with the loss firmly in the rearview mirror, the Celtics can begin preparing for the Cleveland Cavaliers, who they face on Wednesday, December 22.
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