3 observations after Melton exits early, Harris struggles again,
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3 observations after Melton exits early, Harris struggles again, Sixers fall to C’s originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
BOSTON — The Celtics pulled away late and notched a ninth consecutive win Tuesday night at TD Garden.
Though the Sixers made things interesting, they ultimately did not look to be in the same class.
Boston improved to 46-12 this season with a 117-99 victory. The Sixers dropped to 33-25.
Jaylen Brown scored 31 points on 11-for-14 shooting. Jayson Tatum posted 29 points and Kristaps Porzingis tallied 23.
Tyrese Maxey’s 32 points led the Sixers.
Joel Embiid (left knee meniscus procedure), Robert Covington (left knee bone bruise) and KJ Martin (right ankle impingement) remained out. Martin said Tuesday morning that he suffered his injury when he leaped for a chase-down block and landed on his heel. He said he’d been feeling a bit better the past few days.
The Sixers also ruled De’Anthony Melton out in the third quarter because of back spasms. Tuesday’s game was Melton’s third following a long-term absence because of a lumbar spine contusion.
The Sixers will host the Hornets on Friday night. Here are observations on their loss in Boston:
A small-ball spark
Buddy Hield helped the Sixers avoid another slow start by sinking two quick three-pointers. Maxey zoomed in for a layup that gave the team an 11-4 edge.
The Celtics immediately snapped into a higher gear, responding with a 12-0 run. Jrue Holiday capped it with a fast-break layup after Derrick White ripped the ball from Tobias Harris.
The game deviated from a typical script late in the first quarter when Nicolas Batum assumed a small-ball center role for the second straight game over Mo Bamba. Sixers head coach Nick Nurse used a frontcourt of Batum and 6-foot-6 rookie Ricky Council IV against the 7-foot-3 Porzingis and Al Horford. It didn’t take long for both big men to exploit the size mismatch and convert layups.
However, the Sixers’ offense was a major plus. They got driving…
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