Let's face it. These two teams just don't like each other. Philly's 118-115 victory over the depleted Celtics roster had it all - antipathy, physical play and intrigue. All blockquotes are per Philly.Com's David Murphy:
Marcus Smart could not have known the beast he would unleash when he took exception to a hard pick and sent Joel Embiid sprawling face first to the court with a two-handed shove to the back early in the third quarter. The Celtics’ physical, picket-fence defense had again taken Ben Simmons out of the game, shutting off his driving lanes and leaving Embiid to shoulder the entire offensive load.