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Sixers-Celtics best and worst: Joel Embiid was good, but Boston’s Jeff Teague was better

Danny Green was supposed to bring defense to the 76ers, and he did just that in Tuesday's game. He had four steals while playing just 12 minutes, 46 seconds.

Joel Embiid goes up for a basket against the Celtics during the first half.
Joel Embiid goes up for a basket against the Celtics during the first half.Read moreCHARLES FOX / Staff Photographer

The NBA season is already here, just a few months after the last one ended.

Here is my look at some of the best and worst performances from the 76ers’ 108-99 victory over the Boston Celtics in Tuesday’s preseason game at Wells Fargo Center

Best performance

This might come as a surprise based on Joel Embiid’s 18 first-half points and Shake Milton’s 15 points in the third quarter. But I’m giving this award to someone from the losing team. Jeff Teague barely missed a shot. The Celtics reserve point guard scored 18 points on 7-for-9 shooting. He made all four of his three-point attempts.

» READ MORE: The Sixers are back in the Wells Fargo Center. Where they go from here is anybody’s guess. | David Murphy

Worst performance

This was an easy one. It goes to Jaylen Brown. The Celtics small forward scored five points and missed 10 of his 11 shot attempts. He also had a team-worst four turnovers and graded out at a minus-10. That means the Celtics were outscored by 10 points when he was on the floor.

Best defensive performance

This goes to Danny Green. The Sixers small forward had a game-high four steals in just 12 minutes, 46 seconds of action — all in the first half.

Worst statistic

As bad as the combined turnovers (36) were, I had to give this to the Sixers’ three-point shooting. They missed 22 of 29 threes.

Best statistic

This goes to Teague’s shooting.

Worst of the worst

This goes to the state of the Celtics. Boston limped into the preseason matchup with just 13 available players. Kemba Walker (left knee), Tristan Thompson (right hamstring), Daniel Theis (lower back), and Romeo Langford (right wrist) are all sidelined with injuries. Meanwhile, Amile Jefferson, a former Friends’ Central standout, was not with the team on the trip.