76ers star takes blame after Celtics Game 4 rout

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76ers star takes blame after Celtics Game 4 rout

Brian Robb · MassLive

Mon, Apr 27, 2026 ·

3 min read

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The 76ers got a boost on paper for their Game 4 matchup against the Celtics with the return of star center Joel Embiid . However, the big man did little to help the hosts slow down a 128-96 demolition of the Sixers at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Game 4.

A lot of those struggles began in the first half as the Celtics built a 18-point lead despite subpar shooting performances from Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum early. The Sixers mustered just 38 points before intermission on 33 percent shooting but the most troubling stat of all involved their star guard Tyrese Maxey .

The athletic guard attempted just three shots in the first half, mustering seven points in 20 minutes as the Sixers offense floundered. After the game, Maxey pointed at himself for the lack of aggression.

“That absolutely can’t happen,” Maxey said of his three shots at half. “That’s just unacceptable by me. It wasn’t meant to happen that way. We can’t win basketball games with that happening, and I take full responsibility on that one,”

Maxey did ultimately get going in the second half to finish with 22 points in his 40 minutes but it was too little too late against Boston ’s offensive firepower. The bigger concern for the Sixers and Maxey is how much the return of Embiid after a three-week absence has thrown the Sixers offense out of whack.

Embiid spoke about Maxey’s lack of aggression after the loss.

“I think you just got to be aggressive, but aggressive is not about taking shots,” Embiid said. “It’s about just being aggressive, putting your head down, driving to the basket. That might collapse the defense and make place for everybody else. So I think the whole notion of getting shots is not about getting shots, it’s just about being aggressive, putting pressure on the defense and react off of it.

“They’ve been doing a good job of kind of treading him and all the screening actions. So he has to have a lot of space, but that’s when you got to make quick decisions. I think I talked to him. There’s a couple times where he had an opportunity to shoot the ball, but he’s got to take them. He got to want it, but I think for the most part he’s been good. I think he came in to start the second half and he was made aggressive and we need that from the start. And that might not mean getting up 10 shots in the first quarter. It might mean creating opportunities for everybody else.”

Maxey and Embiid will only have one day of rest to try to turn things around before they return to Boston for Game 5 and attempt to keep their season alive in an elimination game at TD Garden.

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