The Boston Celtics began their rigorous December schedule with a win over the Philadelphia 76ers. The Celtics and Sixers are not off to the starts they wanted but Wednesday night’s matchup was a perfect opportunity to gain some ground in the standings.
Both teams were tied with records of 11-10. This was the first of four meetings between the historic rivals.
The game was a defensive dogfight and no team was able to get any separation for the vast majority of the game.
Jayson Tatum had a monster game, scoring a game-high 26 points and a career-high 16 rebounds. The two-time all-star also hit a go-ahead contested mid-range jumper to give the Celtics a two-point lead with just under two minutes remaining.
Dennis Schroder had himself a nice game off the bench, scoring 13 points and finishing a layup with 30 seconds remaining to put the Celtics just out of reach of a comeback.
The game was sealed with a block in the corner by Robert Williams III as time expired. Williams and his presence was felt in his return where he scored 10 points and added three crucial blocks to his stat line.
Robert Williams’ availability is what separates the Celtics from a good defensive team to a great one.
Boston will play their next game against the Utah Jazz where they will begin a tough five game road trip.
(Photo by Jim Davis/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)