Player grades: Sixers stumble, fall to Celtics in Game 1 on the road

BOSTON -- The Philadelphia 76ers begin their playoff run on Sunday afternoon against the Boston Celtics in Game 1 of Round 1. The No. 7 seed Sixers entered as big underdogs as they continue to navigate life without Joel Embiid as the big fella continues to recover from his appendectomy from April 9.

The Celtics made life miserable for the Embiid-less Sixers from the jump as they raced out to a lead as large as 23 in the first half. The lead then ballooned to as large as 35 points before Boston jumped out to a 1-0 series lead with a 123-91 win. Celtics star Jayson Tatum had 25 points, 11 rebounds, and seven assists while Jaylen Brown added 26 points and four rebounds.

The Sixers were led by Tyrese Maxey with 21 points and eight assists, Paul George had 17 points and four rebounds, and VJ Edgecombe had 13 points. Kelly Oubre Jr. added 10 points and seven rebounds, and Justin Edwards added seven and six rebounds.

Here are the player grades following the loss: Tyrese Maxey: C In order for the Sixers to have any chance in this series, they will need Maxey to be aggressive and continue to lead the way on the offensive end. He put his head down in this one as he was able to find his way into the paint, but he didn’t shoot a great percentage as the Celtics raced out to a big lead. When Maxey was able to get a head full of steam and get to the basket, he found some success, but his shot continues to betray him a bit as he had a tough time with his 3-point shot.