Player grades: Joel Embiid returns, but Sixers drop Game 4 to Celtics

PHILADELPHIA -- The Philadelphia 76ers entered Game 4 with the Boston Celtics on Sunday needing a win to avoid the dreaded 3-1 hole. There was some added energy for the Sixers as they welcomed Joel Embiid back to the floor after he underwent an emergency appendectomy on April 9 as they looked to ride that momentum. After a brief run for Embiid and Co.

, the Celtics put it on early and often. They led by as many as 21 in the first half before the lead ballooned to 32 as they earned a 128-96 win to push the Sixers to the brink of elimination. Payton Pritchard had 32 points, four assists, and four rebounds off the bench and Jayson Tatum had 30 points, 11 assists, and seven rebounds while Jaylen Brown had 20 points and seven rebounds.

Embiid had 26 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists in his return while Tyrese Maxey had 22 points and and six assists, and Paul George added 16 and four rebounds. Quentin Grimes had 12 points and six assists for Philadelphia off the bench. Here are the player grades after the loss: Tyrese Maxey: C-plus With the return of Embiid, it meant Maxey’s shot attempts went down a bit.

He didn’t attempt a shot until the 3:05 mark of the first quarter as he had a tough time really getting into this one. He was able to make things happen with his passing, but the Sixers needed to find a way to get him his shots as well. There was a stretch in the second quarter when he and Embiid ran their two-man game which led to some success, but Maxey was quiet in the first half as the Celtics built their lead.