Philadelphia 76ers defense stands out in opener; 3 takeaways

The Philadelphia 76ers kicked off their 2019-20 season with a suffocating victory,107-93. Here’s what to take away along with the win.

The NBA season is finally back and the Philadelphia 76ers kicked theirs off against a familiar rival: the Boston Celtics. Though the two franchises underwent major changes this offseason, they were of much different ilks.

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Having Al Horford in Sixers threads was refreshing to see, as Joel Embiid‘s toughest opponent is now his teammate. While Philly bought into size and defense, the Celtics retooled around a star guard, Kemba Walker, and their young wings.

One of those wings proved to be an issue for the Sixers: Jayson Tatum. The third-year Duke alum was smooth as can be, gliding past certain defenders and hitting jumpers over other.

Walker, for once, did not kill the men in blue. Josh Richardson did an excellent job chasing him around screens and Matisse Thybulle blocked him from behind on a jumper.

The offense took a while to get going, but once it did Boston didn’t have much of an answer. Embiid tried to force his own rhythm early by jacking up weird middies, but settled in with aggressiveness after halftime. The rest of the offense followed a similar path, hitting only two 3-pointers in the first two quarters.

Once they got going … sheesh. The fact that the Sixers kept it close early, despite only making 11 shots in the opening half, was impressive enough. Holding the Celtics, a very efficient offense otherwise, to only 93 points is quite impressive.

As for the specifics, they’re up next.