Embiid wasn’t the only Sixers player facing a challenge coming into the game. Tyrese Maxey was fired up when his phone dinged with a message from his friend Trendon Watford. The Nets guard told Maxey he is always taking over regular old games, but could he do it on Christmas with all of his family watching?

Tyrese Maxey collected 33 points and 12 assists to lead the visiting Philadelphia 76ers to a 118-114 victory over the Boston Celtics on Wednesday.

A lackluster defensive effort caused the Celtics to come up short. The post Tyrese Maxey torches Celtics’ defense as 76ers beat Celtics on Christmas: 9 takeaways appeared first on Boston.com.

But Maxey zipped past Pritchard and found a clear lane to the basket, where he put in an off-balance layup just before time expired. The play all but finished off the Celtics in this 118-114 loss, and it was an example of the uncharacteristic missteps that doomed them.

Boston Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis injured his ankle during a 118-114 loss against the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday night. Porzingis seemingly got hurt just 65 seconds into the contest, slipping near the top of the key while trying to create separation with a step back.