PHILADELPHIA -- The Philadelphia 76ers ended the preseason with a 125-120 overtime loss to the Boston Celtics as they now turn their attention to the regular season. The Sixers were able to see their main pieces get into the second half and the regulars are ready to go for when the games begin to count on Tuesday in New York.
Joel Embiid had 27 points and eight rebounds along with five assists for the Sixers while Jaylen Brown added 20 points and eight rebounds, Tyrese Maxey had 22 points and six assists, and Labaron Philon Jr. had 11 points and six assists. Jabari Walker added 13 points off the bench while LeBron James had eight points, eight rebounds, and seven assists.
Here are the three biggest takeaways following the loss:
A healthy Embiid
After a disappointing preseason debut in Brooklyn, Embiid stood out in this one. Some turnovers, sure, but ultimately, he looked healthy. He was aggressive on the offensive end, intentional with his moves, drew fouls, got to the free-throw line, and had a dunk in the third quarter that essentially said he’s back from any ailment slowing him down. He was moving well and the Sixers will take what they saw in this one.
"I still had an awkward landing, but I guess it's good to dunk," Embiid smiled. "I thought I would never dunk again. Yeah, I guess I don't know what happened. I kind of got possessed, but yeah, whatever. I mean, I think my mind kind of changed me there. I was going lay it up, and then I saw he came over, tried to block it. I was like, I guess I’ll try to dunk it, I'm glad it worked out."
Joel Embiid: “I guess it's good to dunk. I thought I would never dunk again. Yeah, I don't know what happened. I kind of got possessed.” #Sixerspic.twitter.com/uIW6G7HTeK
— Ky Carlin (@Ky_Carlin) October 17, 2026
James does it all
Even at age 41 and entering year 24, James is the ultimate chess piece on the floor. He showed off everything he was able to do as he was an elite playmaker, crashed the glass, and scored when he had the opportunities in this one. He was moving a bit slowly at times, but one can assume it’s due to it being the preseason finale and he’s prepping himself for when the games matter. The impact he continues to make on this team is super impressive at his age. The two-man game between himself and Maxey was something to behold.
"I think every day is going to give us an opportunity to get better," said James. "We want to continue to do that. We don't want to waste opportunities when we hit the floor. There's some teams in this league, obviously, that has the – you know they've been together longer than us. So we don't have the advantage of not being able to progress. I think we've done it over the last few weeks."
Brown makes plays on both ends of the floor
The Sixers acquired Brown for his versatility and ability to do it all on the floor. He gave a little preview in this one. He was aggressive on the offensive end as he put his head down and really used his skill and physicality to be able to find a rhythm while also making winning plays defensively and finding ways to make a positive impact on this group.
"Me individually, I think I’ve made my strides just getting familiar with the system, just getting familiar with the city, the facility, all of that," said Brown. "Just getting settled in my place and then as a group. I think we’re just building. I think we’re just setting the mentality that we need to set. I think we just are inching closer every single day, so we’ve got to just continue to emphasize the type of mentality that we want to have and the accountability that we want to have and keep moving forward."
This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: 3 biggest takeaways for Sixers after preseason finale loss to Celtics