The 76ers were unable to keep the good Philadelphia sports vibes rolling as they dropped the season opener 126-117 to the Celtics Tuesday night in Boston. Despite 35 points from James Harden, it wasn’t enough to overcome a dreadful Joel Embiid performance and a scorcher from Jayson Tatum.
Here are some instant takeaways from the season opener.
First half
- It could not have been a colder start for the Sixers. Boston’s defense was absolutely smothering out of the gate. Philly struggled to get shots off as they got off to just a 1-of-7 start from the field and turned the ball over three times in the first three minutes of action.