Sixers Bell Ringer season standings:Jared McCain – 8Tyrese Maxey – 5.5Paul George – 3.5Joel Embiid – 3KJ Martin – 2Guerschon Yabusele – 2Ricky Council IV – 1Justin Edwards – 1Kelly Oubre Jr – 1

(No poll was posted following the 12/16 win over Charlotte, so in a Liberty Ballers first, Paul George and Tyrese Maxey each received half a Bell Ringer.)

To quote a former Eagles backup quarterback: Merry Christmas, Philadelphia.

Tyrese Maxey starred and the Sixers snagged their best win of the season in a 118-114 upset over the defending-champion Celtics in Boston on Christmas Day.

It is Dec. 25 and the Sixers got to use their projected starting lineup for the first time. That group got off to a strong start with Maxey carrying the offensive load. After recording just 12 points in his first Christmas Day game last season, the electric guard matched that total in the first quarter.

Maxey kept it going in the second quarter and got some help from Joel Embiid, who dropped 10 points in the frame — including a three in the waning seconds of the first half to give the Sixers a 66-58 lead.

The Celtics weren’t going to go down without a fight. Jaylen Brown got going after a slow first half and the Sixers’ offense stagnated for much of the quarter, scoring just 16 points. Boston was able to knot things up going into the fourth.

But Maxey was up to the challenge, carrying a bench-heavy unit and building the Sixers’ lead back into double-digits. Things got a little dicey when the starters checked back in, but a timely layup by Maxey and clutch free throw shooting — not a given with this team this season! — the Sixers put the game away.

Philly is slowly but surely crawling its way out of its early season hole, improving to 11-17. The Sixers are 8-3 in their last 11. Just as important, they’re (sort of) getting healthier and figuring out how to play with one another. They get a couple days off before heading out West for a four-game trip, starting Saturday night in Utah against the Jazz.

For now, let’s get to a fun Bell Ringer.

Tyrese Maxey: 33 points, 12 assists, 4 rebounds, 3 steals, 1 block

It was clear from the beginning of the game that Maxey wanted to make sure last Christmas was an aberration. He poured in 12 points and dished out four assists in the opening frame. Another impressive part of Maxey’s game was the way he didn’t back down defensively. Both Brown and Jayson Tatum were trying to target him and he fought like hell, even forcing a couple turnovers.

And speaking of turnovers, a big part of the Sixers’ success in the first half was that they turned the ball over only once. As we’ve seen over the years, regardless of his usage, Maxey is going to take care of the basketball. Maxey and Embiid led the floor with 18 points apiece at the half. Maxey also had eight assists with zero turnovers.

The offense really came to a screeching halt in the third with Maxey only attempting two shots. The struggles of Paul George really hurt the Sixers during a period in which they were outscored 24-16.

To start the fourth, Maxey absolutely cooked Boston’s defense while playing with a bench-heavy unit. He hunted for mismatches and exploited them. Outside of a couple uncharacteristic late turnovers, Maxey was brilliant in a 13-point, three-assist final frame.

He also stayed composed on what could’ve been a disastrous play and got the Sixers a huge bucket late.

You can’t call it a coming out party for a player as established as Maxey, but man, that’s a hell of a performance against a great team on a huge NBA stage. Maxey finished with a game-high 33 points (12-of-23, 3-of-9 from three), becoming the first Sixer to post a 30-point, 10-assist game on Christmas Day. He might make sure the Sixers have an All-Star this season yet (good timing in that regard).

Caleb Martin: 23 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal

What in the name of Andrew Toney got into Caleb Martin?

Well, it appears finally being healthy has been huge help. The Sixers wisely shut Martin down to deal with a right shoulder issue he’s been dealing with seemingly all season. Luckily, he missed only three games over the course of two weeks because of the NBA Cup.

Martin followed a strong outing in the Sixers’ win over the Spurs on Monday in which he went 3-of-5 from deep with a nuclear performance on Christmas Day. With George unable to find his shot, they needed someone to step up — and boy, did Martin deliver.

The versatile wing — who’s had a penchant for making life miserable for the Celtics throughout his career — couldn’t miss. He went 7-for-9 from deep on the night and 4-for-4 beyond the arc in the fourth. The seven triples are a career high and the 23 points were his most as a Sixer.

Beyond the threes, Martin is looking more and more like the player many viewed as a steal in free agency.

He’s always seemed to play better when the lights are the brightest. This was his first time doing so in a Sixers jersey.

Joel Embiid: 27 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists

A game after being ejected, Embiid looked spry early on in this one.

Boston is notoriously a tough matchup for him with the presence of Al Horford and the general cohesiveness the Celtics play with on defense. Embiid is also still adjusting to life with a mask (again) and hasn’t played a lot of high-level basketball this season.

Give him credit — he was impactful without forcing things. Embiid said at media day his primary goal was to make everything easier on everyone else. He played like that on Christmas. The way he ran the floor here and finished through traffic — giving Maxey an easy assist — is a fantastic sign.

His three-point shooting was a huge boost. He was 4-of-5 on the day and hit this big one to close the first half. He was quite emphatic after the make.

It was far from a perfect close but Embiid did make several winning plays down the stretch. He found Martin on a three with the defense shifting his way. When the Sixers were on their heels, he ran a pick-and-roll with Maxey out of a timeout and uncharacteristically rolled to the basket. He was able to draw a foul on Horford and make a pair of free throws. He crashed the offensive glass and forced Brown into committing a foul. The ensuing possession led to that big Maxey layup.

And, mask be damned, he sank a pair of free throws to finally put the game away.

There hasn’t been much to be happy about for anyone on the Sixers this season, especially Embiid. It was good to see the big fella enjoy this one postgame.

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