Philadelphia 76ers: 3 takeaways from Christmas loss to Celtics

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - DECEMBER 25: Jimmy Butler #23 of the Philadelphia 76ers looks down during the fourth quarter of the game against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden on December 25, 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Omar Rawlings/Getty Images) /

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Photo by Omar Rawlings/Getty Images /

The Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics fought back and forth in an exciting Christmas Day game, but in the end, the Celtics prevailed in overtime.

The Philadelphia 76ers were no match for the Boston Celtics on Christmas Day, falling 121-114 in overtime. It’s the second road loss the Sixers have suffered in Beantown this season as their road woes continue.

Kyrie Irving scored 40 points to offset 34 points from big man Joel Embiid and 24 points from Jimmy Butler. Irving drained his final shot, a pull-up 3-pointer in transition, for the proverbial dagger, putting Boston up 118-114 with 1:29 left in overtime,

Things were all tied up at 89 entering the third quarter and by the end of the fourth, the Celtics had all the momentum thanks to the performance of Irving. Philadelphia trailed by eight at halftime, but managed to put together a few scoring runs to keep things close.

The Sixers ran out of juice in the end and it showed in the results. They finished the game with 19 turnovers and lost despite shooting 15-of-40 (37.5 percent) from 3-point range as a team.

Philadelphia is 16-3 at home, but 6-10 on the road in 2018-19. There’s time to fix the road woes and there’s plenty for to learn from this contest against a conference rival. Here’s a look at three takeaways from the Philadelphia 76ers’ loss on Christmas Day.