The first game of December brought both Boston and Philadelphia fans a lot of frustrating and terrible basketball. Boston is probably a little less depressed because they won, but after that game, it didn’t feel like a win either.
Standings:
Brooklyn Nets 15-6
Boston Celtics 12-10
New York Knicks 11-10
Philadelphia 76ers 11-11
Toronto Raptors 9-13
Let’s talk about last night!
Jayson Tatum
Jayson Tatum always seems to turn it up a couple of notches when playing against the Philadelphia 76ers. Part of it could be playing against Joel Embiid since they worked out together for a couple of offseasons, and the other part could just be the rivalry itself. Either way, it was a great game for Tatum to lead the way especially as one of the only guys who was making shots. Looking through Tatum’s career splits, it looks like December is actually one of his better months especially in terms of efficiency and offensive rating. This December sure did start in the right direction! He finished this game with 26 points and a career-high 16 rebounds!
Shake Milton
Shake Milton was one of the very few highlights for the Sixers as the whole team looked like the slowest moving, worst shooting team in a long time. Even while Milton was the only guy keeping the Sixers in the game during the first half, he didn’t get to play much at all in the second half and only finished with 22 minutes played. At one point, Milton went on an 8-0 run by himself in the first quarter! From top to bottom, coaches to players, this game was quite bad. Doc Rivers’ rotations and out-of-bounds or end-of-game play-calling continue to be the worst in the league.
The Atlantic Files 