3 observations: Joel Embiid once again carries Sixers to win over Celtics

The Philadelphia 76ers returned to the floor on Wednesday for the first time since Saturday and they welcomed their star big man back with open arms. On this night, they needed him.

Joel Embiid had himself another huge night with 42 points and nine rebounds to lead the Sixers to a 117-109 win over the Boston Celtics at home. Embiid was dominant in the low post all night long and he made sure Philadelphia was walking away with the win in this one.

Tobias Harris added 22 points and five assists, Shake Milton had 16 points off the bench with Dwight Howard adding seven and 10 rebounds, and Ben Simmons had 11 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists. Danny Green also had 12 points in support.

With that said, here are the three observations in this one:

Mean Joel Embiid

There seems to be a mean streak with Embiid right now that has not been there in past seasons. He continues to throw the team on his back and carry them on offense when things aren’t going well and he is demanding the ball and accepting more responsibility with this team. He also knew that the Celtics could not guard him with the bigs that they have. He averaged 30 a game against them in the playoffs and he’s a better player now than he was in the bubble. In the second half, he went right at Tristan Thompson and made life miserable for him in the post. He had seven points in the opening minutes of the third as he helped Philadelphia take the lead after trailing by three at halftime. He also responded to double teams better and he was making some excellent passes. He once again carried this team on his broad shoulders and he continues to show why he is in the MVP conversation right now.

Shake and Dwight playing well

It is hugely important that the Sixers bench continues to come in and play the way they did on Wednesday. Both Milton and Howard entered the game and they kept the momentum going that the starters came up with. Milton was getting to the basket and finishing well while Howard was aggressive on the offensive glass as it was clear that Boston’s bigs could not keep up with him. They both also played a huge part in the fourth quarter. Howard’s activity and his physicality around the rim was something that the Celtics could not handle and Milton is just continuing to work well on offense with both his big man and the other pieces around him. They helped Philadelphia take a lead while both Embiid and Simmons were on the bench. Milton’s scoring off the dribble is something that will be very beneficial come playoff time.

Simmons' offensive struggles continue

Simmons’ numbers on the offensive end have declined a bit and that trend continued in this game. He was getting to the basket, but he had trouble finishing and it continues to be a struggle for him. He had five points on 0-for-3 shooting at the half. On the flip side, it seemed that he was used more off the ball in this game. He did set some nice screens for Embiid and he continues to do the other things that help a team win. He was rebounding well, he was defending all over the floor, and he did a good job of distributing the ball. This is who Simmons is as he is a guy who won’t score 20-25 points, but he will go out there and grab rebounds, get his teammates in a good position, and play excellent defense while also being a threat for a triple-double every time.