NBA News Wire
76ers 111, Celtics 102
Jeff Hawkins is an award-winning sportswriter with more than four decades in the industry (print and digital media). A freelance writer/stay-at-home dad since 2008, Hawkins started his career with newspaper stints in Michigan, North Carolina, Florida, Upstate New York and Illinois, where he earned the 2004 APSE first-place award for column writing (under 40,000 circulation). As a beat writer, he covered NASCAR Winston Cup events at NHIS (1999-2003), the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks (2003-06) and the NFL's Carolina Panthers (2011-12). Hawkins penned four youth sports books, including a Michael Jordan biography. Hawkins' main hobbies include mountain bike riding, 5k trail runs at the Whitewater Center in Charlotte, N.C., and live music.
All posts by Jeff HawkinsUpdated15 Oct 2021
BOSTON — Guard Michael Carter-Williams, the odds-on favorite for NBA Rookie of the Year honors, took over in the fourth quarter and led the Philadelphia 76ers to their second win in their last 30 games on Friday night.
Carter-Williams scored seven straight points for his team and center Henry Sims scored a career-high 24 points and grabbed nine rebounds to lift the woeful Sixers to a 111-102 victory over the Boston Celtics.
Sims came in averaging 6.3 points and 4.7 rebounds per game.
The battle between two of the NBA’s worst went to the visitors, who have actually gone 2-2 in their last four games after losing 26 straight.
The Celtics, meanwhile, lost their seventh straight and 12th in their last 13.
Carter-Williams finished with 24 points, six rebounds and six assists in helping Philadelphia (17-59) overcome the 29th career triple-double by Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo.
Rondo had 11 points, 16 assists and 11 rebounds, but it was not enough as Boston fell to 23-53.
The Sixers also got 15 points apiece from forward Thaddeus Young and guard Elliot Williams.
Guard Jerryd Bayless led the Celtics with 23 points, forward Jeff Green scored 15, forward Brandon Bass had 12 points and 11 rebounds and forward Kelly Olynyk contributed 14 points.
The Celtics, down by eight points early in the second quarter, kept themselves in the game on the offensive glass — 13 offensive rebounds and 21 second-chance points in the first half. That helped overcome 36.4 percent shooting from the field.
But they were able to hit from long range, shooting a higher percentage — 38.9 percent — than from inside the arc in the half.
NOTES: Celtics G Avery Bradley was out again as his right foot woes continue. His strained Achilles will also sideline him on Saturday night at Detroit, the 21st and 22nd games he has missed this season. “The expectation is, he will be day to day starting Monday,” coach Brad Stevens said. “We’re hopeful that he plays Wednesday in Atlanta.” … The back-to-back situation will also keep PG Rajon Rondo out against the Pistons — he has not and will not play back-to-backs this season after returning from knee surgery. … Sixers C Nerlens Noel, who has yet to play in his rookie season after knee surgery, was rumored for a possible debut in his hometown on Friday but did not suit up. … The Sixers are at Brooklyn on Saturday night. … Despite their losing ways, it appears the Sixers will not “catch” the Milwaukee Bucks for the league’s worst record. They started play Friday night two games ahead of Milwaukee. The team with the worst record has a 25 percent of getting the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft. The team that finishes next-to-last has a 19.9 percent chance.
