Shorthanded Sixers rally to beat Celtics for 1st time in 3 years

Brett Brown's Philadelphia 76ers continue to defy the odds - at least as much as any 23-46 team can.

With Joel Embiid shut down for the remainder of the season, Nerlens Noel now long gone, Jahlil Okafor leaving Sunday's game early due to right knee soreness, and Justin Anderson held out with an illness, the Sixers still managed a spirited rally against the Eastern Conference's No. 2 team.

Boston may have entered Philadelphia without All-Star point guard Isaiah Thomas, but the 44-26 Celtics had all their other regulars available, still tipped off as five-point favorites, and held a 13-point advantage midway through the third quarter.

From there, the undermanned Sixers outscored the second-seeded Celtics 49-30 over the game's final 17:52, giving Philadelphia its first win over Boston in nearly three years (April 14, 2014).

Not one Sixer remains from the franchise's last victory over the Celtics.

Veteran guard Sergio Rodriguez helped spur the rally in the late third and early fourth quarter, while rookie big man Dario Saric carried Philly down the stretch, recovering from a 1-of-6 start to finish with 23 points, six rebounds, four assists, and two steals on 10-of-20 shooting.

Watch: Saric hits Holmes with dandy no-look dime

The result is the latest in a string of inspiring performances from Brown's 76ers, who demolished Dallas by 42 points on Friday and took the mighty Warriors to the wire at Oracle Arena on Tuesday after beating the Lakers in L.A. a week ago.

While the Sixers' playoff hopes faded long ago, Sunday's comeback could come back to bite the Celtics, who would have moved within a game of first-place Cleveland with a win.