The Philadelphia 76ers found themselves in a difficult spot on Friday night, facing the Boston Celtics.
With a loaded injury report, a handful of key contributors were ruled out against one of the team’s most notable rivals.
As a result of the starting point guard Tyrese Maxey being ruled out due to an illness, the Sixers slid the veteran Patrick Beverley into the starting five for the first time this year.
After a slow start to the season offensively, Beverley has picked up his production lately, bringing more value to the table off the bench.
When he collected a near-40-minute shift against the Celtics on Friday, Beverley surely did his part in Maxey’s absence and nearly had a career-high night in scoring.
Leading up to Friday’s game, Beverley notched 20 points in a single game just 11 times in his career.
During a matchup in early April of 2017, Beverley scored his career-high 26 points against the Phoenix Suns as a member of the Houston Rockets.
On Friday night in Boston, Beverley knocked down 67 percent of his shots from the field on 15 attempts. Five of his attempts came from beyond the arc. The veteran tied his career-high by scoring 26 points, which led the Sixers for the night.
It wasn’t just Beverley’s scoring that offered Philly a big boost.
The veteran teased a triple-double as he came down with eight rebounds and dished out seven assists.
Defensively, he also snatched two steals. And as always, he brought the high intensity to the lineup for nearly 40 minutes, which helped keep the Sixers competitive throughout a night they were expected to roll over and collect a scheduled loss.
The Sixers couldn’t escape Boston with a win on Friday, as they came up short with a 125-119 loss. However, Beverley and the rest of the team’s reserves, who stepped up in the absence of some of the team’s starters, deserve credit for their performances against a tough Boston team.
