Without Joel Embiid, Sixers centers Adem Bona and Andre Drummond ride highs and lows of Game 3 loss to Celtics

Jayson Tatum lost the ball with the shot clock winding down, and Adem Bona could not resist lunging for it.

Nick Nurse initially described the fifth foul called on the 76ers’ second-year center as “really cheap” and “weak,” before softening his criticism to “probably could have been let go” by the officials.

Yet Tyrese Maxey offered a candid message to Bona in the moment, and after the Sixers’ 108-100 down-to-the-wire Game 3 defeat against the Boston Celtics: “There’s no need.”

“If he turn around and shoot a step-back and make it, congrats,” Maxey said. “Tip your hat to him.”

» READ MORE: Tyrese Maxey battles, VJ Edgecombe’s learning moment, and what we learned from the Sixers’ 108-100 loss in Game 3

Such is life with the Sixers’ current center situation. A Friday that began with uncertainty about the post-appendectomy status of star Joel Embiid — he had been officially listed as doubtful, before being ruled out about two hours before tipoff — ended with Bona and veteran Andre Drummond tag-teaming for their most productive collective performance of this first-round playoff series.

Bona finished with 10 points, five rebounds, and three blocked shots in 22 minutes. Drummond added 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting and six rebounds in 25 minutes. But they were still part of the small-yet-costly errors that can make the difference as the shorthanded, lower seed in a tight playoff game against a Finals contender now holding a two games to one series lead.

“We’re playing fine,” Drummond said after the game. “I think Bona’s doing great. Myself, obviously I’ve had experience in the playoffs. Just staying poised. Staying ready. Paying attention to details. Knowing the scouting report and taking care of the little things, like getting those offensive rebounds.”

The Sixers’ center spot was a prominent storyline entering this series without Embiid — especially after Neemias Queta racked up a career-high 27 points and 17 rebounds and the Celtics corralled 19 offensive rebounds for 30 second-chance points in their final regular-season matchup on March 1.

And the results through the first two games were inconsistent, at best.

Drummond was a force in Tuesday’s Game 2 victory in Boston, with 10 points and eight rebounds and a strong defensive presence. But both players picked up two quick fouls in Game 1, including one when Bona ran over a defender at full speed on the offensive end. Bona also struggled to convert at the rim, going 1-of-7 from the floor for a total of three points scored entering Friday.

Nurse said harsh outside evaluations of Bona were perhaps unfair, noting his plus/minus was zero in Game 1’s 32-point drubbing. While watching film with the 23-year-old, the coach said he trusted that Bona would soon be “punching” the ball through the rim. Maxey offered similar encouragement to Bona, saying, “Bro, you’re athletic. Go dunk the ball.”

» READ MORE: Hatred for Boston, a couple divided by fandom, and Sixers fans holding on to hope: Inside the arena at Game 3

It appeared that Bona might be overwhelmed again early in Game 3, when he got called for goaltending and an offensive foul in the first minute. But he responded with an emphatic rebound, a putback and a dunk, and a big block on Tatum in quick succession, drawing a boisterous cheer from the home crowd when he checked out of the game.

Another Bona rejection led to a VJ Edgecombe one-handed slam in transition. Then, Bona took a pocket pass from Paul George for another dunk, pounding his chest and hollering in celebration.

Bona had become “the play for a lot of stretches,” Nurse said, because of his rim protection. And that fifth foul disrupted the Sixers’ defense that was “really causing [Boston] a lot of problems for the last about five minutes” while seizing the lead.

“So that one kind of hurt,” Nurse said.

Drummond, though, still provided highlights — and was the Sixers’ only bench lift on a night that Nurse went with an eight-man rotation.

He buried two corner three-pointers, sending the crowd into a frenzy. And twice in less than a minute down the stretch, he took a feed from George for dunks that got the Sixers within 97-96 with 2:19 to play.

“Once you set him that pick, the floor just opens up,” Drummond said of that tandem with George. “ … There’s endless options when he and I are in the pick and roll.”

Drummond took advantage of former teammate Nikola Vučević on those thunderous finishes, helping illustrate that Boston exited Game 3 with its own interesting center situation.

Queta, who played only 13 minutes Friday, has struggled with early foul trouble throughout this series. And before Drummond’s emphatic close Friday, Vučević had given Drummond troubles with his floor-spacing by knocking down two first-quarter three-pointers. George said after the game that he hopes Drummond and Bona remain “dynamic” screeners against those opposing big men, because “we’ve found success when those guys kind of carve out space.”

“It puts a ton of pressure on their bigs to make decisions,” George added.

» READ MORE: Sixers’ Joel Embiid ruled out for Game 3 vs. Celtics

After Friday’s loss, Bona joined the chorus of teammates who, in recent days, have shared how thrilled they are to have Embiid back participating in some team activities following surgery. Bona also understands that “the point is to have someone like that play” if medically cleared, even if it reduces his own role.

“It [would be] a different ballgame having Joel back in the series,” Bona said. “It’s a huge advantage for us, so I’m just excited to see him back on the floor again.”

For now, Nurse reiterated that Bona and Drummond have “both got to play.” They combined Friday for their best collective performance in the series — yet were still part of the small-but-costly miscues that can swing a playoff game.

“Just continue to do what I’m doing,” Bona said, “and limit the fouls.”