Tyrese Maxey led the 76ers with 33 points and 12 assists, Joel Embiid added 27 points and nine rebounds and Caleb Martin hit 7 of 9 3-pointers and scored 23 points. The 76ers were 19 for 19 from the foul line, including 8 for 8 in the final quarter.

Tatum and Brown played the entire third quarter, and both also took the floor early in the fourth quarter, a practice that is much more common in June than in late December. It was a tie at the time, and Boston had a chance to take the lead with Embiid on the bench. Instead, Brown missed two free throws before Maxey hit a 15-footer and spun through the lane for another basket that made it 94-84, and he had a few words for Boston’s bench as he raced back down the court.

After Kyle Lowry hit a 3-pointer, Martin redirected the ball inside from the right arc and then had enough time and space to try again from a similar spot. He looked on his toes, looked at the rim and drilled another one that made it 103-88, which certainly gave Celtics fans flashbacks to the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals when he pulverized Boston as a member of the Heat.

Embiid checked back in with 4:47 left and the 76ers led 105-94. But then the 76ers began to crumble. After a Tatum layup put Boston up 108-100, the Celtics forced Maxey into consecutive turnovers just above midcourt, leading to a White 3-pointer and a Horford dunk that brought Boston within 3 points.

After Embiid hit two free throws, the 76ers found themselves in a difficult situation as they had to jump inside from the sideline with just 1.1 seconds on the shot clock. Then Maxey cut to the basket for a layup. The Celtics appeared to be finished when two free throws from Kelly Oubre made it 114-105 with 52 seconds left in the game, but a Tatum dunk was followed by a steal and a layup that brought Boston within 5 minutes with 40 seconds left .

Boston chose not to foul and forced a miss from Lowry before the shot clock expired, but that left little time for a comeback. A layup by Brown was followed by two free throws by Paul George with 6.2 seconds left in the game. Brown then hit a high arcing 3-pointer to give Boston a chance.

But Embiid hit both free throws with 2.8 seconds left, continuing the 76ers’ perfect night from the line.

With Holiday out, the Celtics returned to the double-big lineup with Porzingis and Horford. Both players’ ability to find space on the court makes this big lineup unique, and Horford provided proof when he drilled a three-pointer on Boston’s first possession and another shortly after as the shot clock expired. He was 4 for 6 from distance in the first half, but the rest of Boston’s offense weathered some lulls.

Tatum and Brown went 2 for 7 from the field with four turnovers in the first quarter, and Maxey’s 12 points and four assists helped Philadelphia take a 30-25 lead.

With Tatum on the bench to start the second quarter, two three-pointers from Derrick White within 29 seconds put Boston up 32-31. But then the 76ers beat the Celtics by a 20-5 margin that included four 3-pointers and three dunks or layups, prompting groans and even a few scattered boos from the holiday crowd.

Tatum came back into the game midway through the quarter and helped the Celtics gain momentum. He converted a 3-point play and then made consecutive 3-pointers to gain an advantage against Embiid, who can’t keep up with Tatum and also wanted to avoid his third foul. Tatum scored 11 points during his six-minute stint in the second quarter, but Embiid made sure the 76ers didn’t get completely out of control.

He was 4-for-4 from the field and 2-for-2 from the 3-point line in the quarter, and the 76ers took a 66-58 lead by halftime. The Celtics attempted just four free throws in the first half and did not register a steal or a block.

Kornet started the second half in place of Porzingis, and the Celtics wasted no time in erasing the rest of the 76ers’ lead. Two baskets from Brown were followed by a three-pointer from Tatum that cut the deficit to 66-65.

Brown was more aggressive and successful in the third quarter after a difficult first half, scoring 14 points on 6 of 10 shooting.

The Celtics took a 78-76 lead on a 20-footer by Tatum with 4:03 minutes left, but then their momentum faltered a bit and the fourth quarter began with a scoreless score of 82 points.

Adam Himmelsbach can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him @adamhimmelsbach.