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The Philadelphia 76ers defeated the Boston Celtics 118-114 in a tight Christmas matchup. Joel Embiid played a huge role in the 2024-25 Sixers' best victory to date. He was very close, however, to being a late scratch.
Embiid nearly injured his ankle during pregame warm-ups, twisting his right ankle as he landed on a jumper. He took a little bit to get up but continued with his warm-up routine.
Fortunately, Embiid was good enough to start the game. He played 31 minutes and didn’t seem bothered by his ankle. According to Ky Carlin of Sixers Wire, Embiid said that he dealt with some soreness but made sure he played through the pain on Christmas.
Joel Embiid, 76ers defeat Celtics in Christmas showdown
The Celtics made sure to play two big men whenever Embiid was in the game. They wanted to match his size at all costs. Embiid still had a big game, recording 27 points and nine rebounds on 8-15 field-goal shooting.
Tyrese Maxey played great in the 76ers' win over the Celtics, notching 33 points, 12 assists and three steals. Caleb Martin reverted back to his Miami Heat form and obliterated the C's from downtown, shooting 7-9 from deep and setting a career-high in triples in a game — on his way to a season-high 23 points.
Embiid has been no stranger to injuries throughout his career but this season has been especially rough on him. He's dealt with knee troubles and is still wearing a mask on his face because of a sinus fracture. Tweaking his ankle is par for the bizarre injury course he has been unfortunate enough to find himself on. Thankfully, it wasn’t bad enough to sideline him for this game.
The 76ers now have two days off before their next game on Saturday against the Utah Jazz. This should give Embiid some time to rest and let the soreness subside.
