Sixers can't keep up with Celtics in 20-point loss

The 76ers fell short of taking a major step forward.

No one can dispute that they've become a better team since acquiring Ish Smith in a trade with the New Orleans Pelicans on Dec. 24. However, they hadn't beaten a team with a winning record.

Sunday night was a prime opportunity for them to accomplish that feat - or so was the thought.

The Boston Celtics hammered the Sixers, 112-92, at the Wells Fargo Center.

The loss dropped the home team to 6-39 this season. It also marked their seventh straight setback in the series with the Celtics (24-21).

"I think it was an opportunity for us," Nerlens Noel said. "But we all have to take account of the circumstance we were under with the weather and all. Sitting in all day the day before . . . I think that was definitely a factor."

Noel said he expected the Sixers to come back and play hard against the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday.

"But I think tonight was definitely a chance where we could have stepped forward and showed something," he said.

Coach Brett Brown didn't use this weekend's blizzard as an excuse. In all honestly, it's hard to do so.

The game was scheduled for Saturday but was pushed back because of the storm. Like Noel said, the Sixers spent Saturday indoors. However, the Celtics flew to Philadelphia Sunday morning. They didn't arrive to their hotel until noon.

"That was a bad NBA game tonight from our standpoint," said Brown, whose squad trailed since the 9-minute, 29-second mark of the first quarter. "We are going to push it aside and we are going to move on.

"T.J. [McConnell] is the only one that really played well or with the spirit I have talked about and delivered on as of late."

The backup point guard showed some grit. He suffered a right lower leg laceration in the first quarter when he ran into a bench. He briefly went to the locker room before finishing with eight points on 4 of 7 shooting with five rebounds, two assists, two steals, and three turnovers in 16 minutes, 25 seconds.

Robert Covington was another one of the Sixers' few bright spots.

The small forward made 6 of 13 three-pointers and finished with a game-high 25 points. Noel added 12 points, nine rebounds, a block, and a steal. Jahlil Okafor had 10 points, six rebounds, and two blocks.

Meanwhile, Smith had a game he would love to erase, scoring seven points on 3 for 12 shooting.

Isaiah Thomas and Jae Crowder paced the Celtics with 20 points each in just three quarters of action. Avery Bradley added 19.

Former Sixer Evan Turner finished with 11 points.

His old squad had won two of the last three games and five of their last 13 since making the trade. That was a major improvement for a team that had lost 30 of its first 31.

But this was a great moment for the Sixers to prove that their improvement was legitimate and that the victories weren't just a benefit from playing other bad teams.

Their six victories have come against the Los Angeles Lakers (9-37), Suns (14-31), Sacramento Kings (20-23), Minnesota Timberwolves (14-31), Portland Trail Blazers (20-26), and Orlando Magic (20-22) - teams that are either NBA doormats or were on a downward spiral when they faced the Sixers.

But it didn't take long to realize the Sixers were outclassed against the Celtics.

Boston even led by as many as 29 points (80-51) after Crowder's foul shot with 6 minutes, 7 seconds left in the third quarter.

Nick Stauskas (two points) returned to action for the Sixers after missing the last three games with a left shoulder contusion.

"I don't even know what team I coached tonight," Brown said. "That's not who we are. . . . We were poor. I don't know why.

"Maybe it had something to do with the snowstorm. I doubt it. We just didn't come with the energy for whatever reason."

kpompey@phillynews.com

@PompeyOnSixers

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