The Sixers suffered a 111-91 loss to the Boston Celtics on Thursday night, but the game was secondary for the team after the passing of Joel Embiid's younger brother (see story).
Turning point
Leaky first-half defense caused the Sixers to trail 65-44 after two quarters. They allowed the Celtics to shoot 57.1 percent from the field, including 45.1 percent from three.
Boston converted 10 more field goal attempts and five of them were from behind the arc.
Follow the leader
Elliot Williams, who made his first start, was tied for the team lead with 17 points. Tony Wroten also scored 17.
The Celtics had two players reach the 20-point plateau with Jared Sullinger scoring 21 and Avery Bradley adding 20.
Stat-egic
The Sixers had 11 steals that helped create 23 fast-break points. However, they also turned the ball over 22 times themselves.
NBA
Take a bow
Midway through the fourth quarter, Allen Iverson appeared on the Wells Fargo Center big screen. He was sitting courtside on the baseline near the Sixers' bench.
"The Answer" received a standing ovation and then Celtics forward Jeff Green went over to shake his hand. Both Green and Iverson played their college basketball at Georgetown University.
Health check
Nerlens Noel did not play because of an upper-respiratory infection.
Saric surfaces
Dario Saric was a starter for his Turkish team Anadolu Efes on Thursday. Saric had received a DNP-CD the previous two games (see story).
Saric scored nine points on 4 of 6 shooting. He also had three assists and three rebounds in 21 minutes. Saric has a contract to play in Turkey for at least the next two seasons.
What's next?
The Sixers host the Orlando Magic on Saturday in Allentown before finishing the preseason with two road games at Brooklyn and Detroit.