As Joel Embiid writhed in pain on the ground, a cohort of Sixers staffers stared in disbelief. The game hadn’t even started yet. It was just warmups. But somehow, Embiid managed to stumble on a security guard’s foot and twist his ankle less than an hour before the 76ers’ Christmas Day game against the Celtics.

The Boston Celtics fell at home to the Philadelphia 76ers 118-114 on Christmas Day. With the result, the Celtics move to 17-21 all-time on Christmas and 22-8 for the 2024-25 season. The 76ers have been one of the league's biggest disappointments this year ...

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.

Jayson Tatum was a significant absence for the Celtics. He was a late scratch due to illness, and Boston's lack of a genuine creator was felt throughout the night. Rather than their fluid ball and player movement,