The Philadelphia 76ers are entering their first game of the NBA Cup with an impressive 4-0 record as they look to remain undefeated against the Boston Celtics. The Celtics are coming into the game with a 2-3 record, as they dropped their first game of the season to the Sixers in Boston. 

Despite a poor performance from Joel Embiid in the first game, Philadelphia managed to rally together in the fourth quarter to win in comeback fashion. In the first half, the Sixers looked great, but they let the lead slip in the third quarter. 

While this wouldn’t necessarily be something to watch just based on one game, this has been a recurring theme for Philadelphia. In their last victory against the Washington Wizards, the Sixers came back from a 19-point deficit, and it was their third fourth-quarter comeback in four games. 

If they let the lead slip again against the Celtics, there’s a good chance that Boston’s able to capitalize on it this time. It will be important for Philadelphia to not only maintain a lead if they can one early, but extend it as much as possible by halftime. 

The Sixers are getting outscored 145-98 this season in third quarters this season, letting up at least 35 points in each third quarter they’ve played. While this poor defense can be justified by the lack of Paul George and Embiid playing cautiously because of his knees, the offensive lull is very concerning. 

Their season-high in points this season in the third quarter is 29, while they’ve averaged 37.0 PPG in the fourth quarter. For whatever reason, the team has greatly struggled coming out of halftime. Thankfully, they’ve been able to overcome these poor third-quarter performances, but that’s not a sustainable way to win games.

In one of our previous articles, we discussed how George returning to the team will be the perfect solution to this issue, but he remains out for the time being. The Celtics, despite being 2-3 and down Jayson Tatum, still have a lot of talent on their team. Winning their last two games in blowout fashion, Philadelphia can’t overlook them as an easy victory.

The Sixers barely won in their first meeting behind a 40-point performance from Maxey and a historical 34-point debut from Edgecombe. Embiid should have more of an impact in this game, but it will still take a lot of help from the supporting cast as he remains on a minutes restriction. 

Against the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Celtics simply out-hustled the current favorite in the Eastern Conference, which could be a bad sign for the Sixers. Even if Philly’s able to get ahead in the first half again, if the lead isn’t substantial and Boston comes out of halftime out-hustling them, it will be a recipe for disaster for the Sixers. 

The key to a victory will be using Embiid’s early minutes to create some separation early in the game. If they’re able to do so, Maxey and Edgecombe should be able to lead the way for the remainder of the game, with support from Quentin Grimes and Kelly Oubre Jr. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Philadelphia drop their first game of the season, but it will be a great test to see if the identity of this team has truly shifted.