PHILADELPHIA – The Sixers have almost exclusively played close games during the 2025-26 campaign, but on Tuesday they engaged in their first true rock fight of the year.
With Joel Embiid sidelined, Tuesday's matchup between the Sixers and Celtics was expected to be a high-scoring track meet of sorts. Instead, it became a defensive struggle – one the Sixers emerged on the victorious side of, notching a 102-100 win to improve to 7-4 on the season. For the first time all year, their defense picked up their offense; this was the Sixers' best wire-to-wire defensive performance of the season.
It appeared that another putrid third quarter would sink the Sixers when they were outscored 36-20 in the first 12 minutes out of halftime. But they erased what peaked as a nine-point Celtics lead, thanks in large part to the tremendous heroics of Justin Edwards, whose reentry into the rotation went as well as humanly possible.
Edwards was terrific on all fronts all game long, and his three-point avalanche in the fourth quarter swung the game in the Sixers' favor. He missed a three in the final seconds of the game, and while it dropped his shooting line to 8-for-9 from the field and 5-for-6 from three-point range, Kelly Oubre Jr. crashed the glass and put it back to take the lead. One stop later, the Sixers had escaped with a hard-fought win.
Everything that stood out during (and before) the third matchup of the year between the Sixers and Celtics:
### Justin Edwards finally breaks out
Sixers head coach Nick Nurse decided to give Justin Edwards another rotation opportunity on Tuesday, and the hometown kid had his best stretch of the season. Edwards' second NBA season has been a considerable struggle to date; he had a tremendous opportunity to take a firm grasp of a regular rotation role and squandered it so badly that he was on the outside looking in entirely. But Nurse is one of Edwards' many advocates; Edwards has the sort of feel for the game and quick decision-making that is a coach's dream.
It also helps to knock down shots, and three-point variance played into Edwards' favor early on in Tuesday's game. He knocked down a pair of triples, and in between those shots converted an and-one on a drive. Edwards also collected a pair of early assists and grabbed two offensive rebounds, one of which led directly to a basket. In the second half, he knocked down a tough mid-range jumper at the end of the shot clock and shifted the momentum midway through the fourth quarter with a pick-six.
Then came a barrage: three straight triples from Edwards that caused a player normally muted in his reactions to erupt with emotion. Edwards has preached the importance of staying the course amid his struggles, but this was an enormous moment for a player who has certainly felt the pressure that comes with dwindling opportunities:
Even without focusing on his made threes – not exactly an easy task given how well Edwards shot the ball from every single spot on the floor – this was the most Edwards has looked like himself all year when it comes to making the quick, confident and smart decisions that endeared him to Nurse and his staff last season.
### Nick Nurse provides a flurry of (partial) injury updates
Typically, NBA head coaches use pregame availabilities to answer questions about that night's opponent. Nurse's time at the podium on Tuesday evening was not so simple. A rundown of the injury updates provided by Nurse:
The Sixers added Embiid to their injury report on Tuesday afternoon, ruling him out for this game due to right knee soreness. That is not the knee that has given him so much trouble over the last few years, but any unplanned absence for the former NBA MVP is going to cause alarms.
Nurse said before the game that Embiid reported the soreness at Tuesday morning's shootaround and that he had since gotten imaging done. An update will come shortly, he said, though he did not describe it as "urgent." Nurse said that Embiid was meeting with doctors at the arena on Thursday evening, and that the same was true for Paul George, whose left knee troubles have kept him out of action all season.
On Friday, the Sixers said George was meeting with doctors over the weekend to determine his next steps; shortly after Nurse characterized that as "the last hurdle." But it appears at least one more meeting will be required before George gets official clearance to play.
Meanwhile, Dominick Barlow (elbow) was seen performing basketball activities on Tuesday morning and afternoon, and it was the first time that was the case since he suffered his injury on Oct. 25. Nurse said that Barlow's laceration has not completely healed just yet, but that it is close.
"It's been fixed and taken care of," Nurse said, "and we should be good to go fairly soon."
For what it's worth, whenever Barlow was seen shooting jumpers on Tuesday – both after shootaround and during a pregame workout in the evening – it looked like he was clearly uncomfortable doing so. It will be something to watch when he comes back.
### Odds and ends
Some additional notes:
• Playing a team three times in the first 20 days of a season is certainly unusual, but the Sixers and Celtics already only have one matchup remaining on their schedule.
"Stupid, right?" Trendon Watford asked a reporter when asked about the scheduling quirk after shootaround. "It's crazy that we've seen them three times already."
• It is still tough sledding for Jared McCain out there. He has been open and honest about his difficulties staying balanced with a bulky brace on his surgically repaired knee, and they are evident. He nearly turned the ball over on multiple occasions during the first half when Boston applied common ball pressure and has been completely incapable of creating advantages off the dribble. It has been a rough watch.
**Up next**: The Sixers will have another two days off before returning to action on Friday night for another battle with the Pistons. This time, they will be in Detroit and the contest will be part of NBA Cup Group Play.
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