The Boston Celtics no longer sit atop the Eastern Conference standings, as they were dethroned by the Philadelphia 76ers Wednesday night in a 106-103 loss.
Although the margin of defeat was only three, Philly largely dominated the contest until the final minutes of the fourth quarter. By the time the C's tried to mount a furious comeback, it was too late, as center Kristaps Porzingis' potential game-tying triple fell short with six seconds remaining.
After rattling off five straight wins, Boston has now lost two in a row on the road. Of course, it's still very early in the season, but let's dive into three overreactions from the Celtics' narrow loss anyway.
Payton Pritchard isn't getting it done
Celtics point guard Payton Pritchard got paid this offseason, which should help curb any of his fears about being cast aside next season. Yet, in spite of the weight off his shoulders, he hasn't played well early on.
Against Philly, he put up a goose egg while going 0-for-4 from the field in 16 minutes. In his defense, few guys on the bench have looked good, but Pritchard has been particularly disappointing.
Prior to Wednesday night's loss, Pritchard had a golden opportunity to earn more minutes, as guard Derrick White was out for two games due to personal reasons. Unfortunately, the 25-year-old did not make the most of his time, dropping 0 points and going a combined 0-for-7 in a win over the Brooklyn Nets and an overtime loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
It's not like Pritchard didn't have a chance to shine, either, since he played a total of 39 minutes in those two outings. While he's managed to be a decent rebounder despite his size, he hasn't been the bench scorer the Celtics have been looking for.
Luke Kornet is tough to play versus real contenders
Speaking of Boston's bench struggles, center Luke Kornet hasn't played well, either. He's received fewer minutes than Pritchard so it hasn't been as noticeable a problem, yet when he subbed in against the Sixers, he seemed out of his depth.
Kornet played just three minutes in the second quarter, but in that span he was thoroughly outplayed. As soon as he entered the game with the C's up two, Sixers center Paul Reed dominated the glass, getting an offensive rebound and a dunk right in Kornet's vicinity.
Sixers forwards Kelly Oubre Jr. and Nicolas Batum also got offensive boards while Kornet was on the floor, which is especially disheartening since they are all undersized compared to him. When Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla had finally seen enough, Kornet left the game with the C's trailing by one.
Did this short swing cost Boston the game? Of course not, but it's a small example of Kornet not being able to hold his own during significant stretches.
To his credit, he helped the Celtics beat the short-handed Nets with 11 points in 15 minutes last Saturday. However, Kornet hasn't done enough to truly show he's worthy of additional minutes against more talented teams.
Boston's turnover problems still linger
If there was one simple reason to explain why the Celtics lost the 2022 NBA Finals, it's turnovers.
In South Philly, the Celtics had 14 turnovers to the Sixers' 13, which isn't too problematic. However, the Green Team has a knack for untimely cough-ups, and that was even an issue during the Celtics' previous loss to the Timberwolves.
Star Jaylen Brown was certainly a culprit of a few miscues, as he posted four turnovers in a tough 4-for-13 showing from the field. Co-star Jayson Tatum, Jrue Holiday, and White also all had two turnovers apiece.
Whether these mistakes are the product of an offense still finding itself or something more remains to be seen, but it's definitely a problem worth monitoring. Tatum and Brown often rush up the floor and fall victim to defensive traps, so it'll mostly be up to them to correct Boston's turnover troubles and avoid silly errors.
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