Sixers-Celtics observations: Boston’s defensive tactic on Joel Embiid, Philly’s foul shooting

The Boston Celtics defeated the 76ers, 112-109, at the Wells Fargo Center on Tuesday night. Here are my main takeaways and best and worst awards:

-- The Celtics know how to guard Joel Embiid. Boston’s defenders kept laying off the All-Star, knowing he rarely rolls to the basket. So the Celtics basically begged him to shoot three-pointers. He obliged them, and made only 2 of 8 threes. Then when he was down low, they often frustrated him with physical play and double teams.

-- Jonathon Simmons will help the Sixers. The team acquired him from the Orlando Magic with the hope that he could provide much-needed perimeter defense. The reserve guard did just that in his second game as a Sixer. Coach Brett Brown even used him in offense/defense situations late in the game.

-- As bad as Tobias Harris (4-for-14, 0-6 on threes), and Embiid (9-22, 2-8) shot, the Sixers lost the game at the foul line. They made just 22 of 31 free throws. Ben Simmons and Jimmy Butler combined for eight of those misses. Simmons missed 5 of 7. Butler went 7-for-10, and his misses came during key stretches in the fourth quarter.

-- Boban Marjanovic’s reach is ridiculous. The Sixers’ 7-foot-3 backup center, who has a 7-10 wingspan, can dunk without jumping. On this night, he grabbed a defensive rebound with his left hand over Daniel Theis without jumping with 4 minutes, 47 seconds left in the first quarter.

-- As a strange as it sounds, one could argue that the Celtics play better basketball without All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving, who was sidelined. The Celtics improved to 8-2 with five straight wins in games he’s missed.

Best performance: Gordon Hayward gets this award on a night he hit a season-high six three-pointers in seven attempts. The reserve Celtics guard finished with a game-high 26 points and graded out at a game-high plus-11.

Worst performance: I had to give this to Harris. He had an off night, making just 28.5 percent of his shots. He graded out at a game-worst minus-12.

Best defensive performance: This goes to Al Horford. The Celtics center had a game-high four steals and frustrated Embiid.

Worst statistic: This goes to Celtics shooting guard Marcus Smart’s missing all eight of three-point attempts.

Best statistic: The Celtics’ committing just six turnovers.