BOSTON – A month ago, the Philadelphia 76ers appeared to be a team headed for infamy.

After starting the season with championship aspirations, the 76ers instead found themselves sitting at an unfathomable 3-14 on Thanksgiving Day and wondering daily whether they would be better off trying to keep their draft pick , rather than trying to reach the postseason.

But after Wednesday’s 118-114 Christmas Day win over the defending champion Boston Celtics, Philadelphia has now won eight of its last 11 games, climbing out of the basement in the Eastern Conference and giving the team new hopes of a successful postseason run .

“We have a high ceiling,” said Joel Embiid, who twisted his ankle stepping on a guard’s foot during warmups but had 27 points and 9 rebounds in 31 minutes for Philadelphia (11-17). “It’s just a matter of us getting it together.

“I don’t think it was anywhere near our best basketball game, but we had a pretty good chance. So it’s about seeking some happiness and staying healthy.”

Luck was in short supply for Embiid and the 76ers. You’ve already seen Paul George hyperextend his left knee twice in the early months of the season, and Embiid himself is recovering from the third facial fracture he suffered in his career. Wednesday’s showdown against Philadelphia’s blood rivals in Boston marked just the sixth time this season that the team’s three tentpole stars – Embiid, George and Tyrese Maxey – were all available for the same game, and they now have a total of 102 minutes together played.

However, Christmas Day became an opportunity for them to show that things could finally change. Since Thanksgiving, despite a favorable schedule, Philadelphia has the league’s fourth-best record – behind only the Oklahoma City Thunder, New York Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers. That has allowed them to come within one game of the play-in spots in the Eastern Conference and within 3.5 games of the Miami Heat and clinch sixth place, the last guaranteed playoff spot.

Against Boston, Philadelphia controlled the ball (13 to 6 margin in turnovers), didn’t miss a free throw (19 to 19) and got big games from Embiid and Maxey (33 points, 12 assists). , and received a massive contribution from Caleb Martin, who returned to his role as a Celtics hitman in the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals by going 7-for-9 from 3 for 23 points.

“I know how they’re going to operate and protect me,” said Martin, who was repeatedly left open by Boston during the game. “I know who will protect me. I know what shots I’m going to get and I definitely have to take them.”

And while the Celtics mounted a furious rally to cut Philadelphia’s once-14-point lead to 2 in the final 10 seconds, it wasn’t enough to overcome a listless defensive performance that wiped out Philadelphia’s it gave plenty of open shots throughout, leading to the Celtics suffering consecutive losses for the first time this season and in three of their last four games.

“I just think we were too casual,” Celtics forward Jaylen Brown said. “I just think we walked to our places. No one was sprinting across the floor, just hanging around and trying to turn around to get the ball instead of just pushing it down the field and just being aggressive. I’m like us.” I started the game slowly and they took advantage of that.

Boston was without Jrue Holiday, who was out before the game with a shoulder injury, and Kristaps Porzingis after halftime after he limped through the first half because of left ankle soreness. Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla had no update on his condition after the game.

The question now for Philadelphia is whether this team, having begun to dig itself out of the massive hole it created at the start of the season, can continue to rack up wins. The 76ers, who have won three straight games this season, will make their fourth attempt when they visit Utah on Saturday and begin a four-game trip to the West Coast that continues on to Portland, Sacramento and Golden State.

But as things stood a month ago, the 76ers are just happy to be back within touching distance of the playoff picture in the East. They believe that the time they finally spent over the past few weeks played an important role in the turnaround.

“A lot different,” Maxey said when asked how things feel for the 76ers now compared to a few weeks ago. “Much different. But I said it back then, just give us some time. It was difficult because the boys were in and out and we finally thought we would let everyone play. I injured myself. That sucks. You know what? I mean? I had a little rhythm and then I got injured and then we have to figure everything out again. I’m coming back, we have to figure everything out again.

“I think the biggest thing we’ve really achieved is that we’ve come together a lot more. I feel like we had a lot of new people. I don’t know how many new people we have, like seven or so.” That, and it’s difficult. You don’t know which combinations go together.