BOSTON — Joel Embiid popped up from a pre-game fall and scored 27 points with nine rebounds, making 4 of 5 from 3-point range and sinking a pair of free throws with three seconds left to turn back Boston’s final rally and lead the 76ers to a 118-114 victory at TD Garden on Wednesday.

Joel Embiid popped up from a pregame fall and scored 27 points with nine rebounds to lead the Philadelphia 76ers to a 118-114 victory over the Boston Celtics.

If the 76ers’ game against the defending champion Boston Celtics was a barometer of where they stand, the answer was clear after registering a 118-114 Christmas Day victory at TD Garden. The Sixers showed that they have the potential to be an elite team.