A 13-point fourth-quarter lead against an undermanned Philadelphia 76ers squad wasn’t enough to earn the Celtics a win in their season opener.
A 13-point fourth-quarter lead against an undermanned Philadelphia 76ers squad wasn’t enough to earn the Celtics a win in their season opener.
Boston’s first game after its seismic offseason overhaul ended in a 117-116 loss at TD Garden.
Jaylen Brown and Derrick White — the only remaining starters from this team’s 61-win predecessor — each scored 25 points to lead the Celtics. New starting center Neemias Queta had 18 points on 7-of-8 shooting and eight blocks before fouling out late in the fourth quarter. Payton Pritchard and Anfernee Simons combined for 30 points, and both were on the court to close the game.
Sixers rookie VJ Edgecombe was terrific in his NBA debut (34 points, seven rebounds, three assists), but he missed two free throws with 8.5 seconds remaining to give the Celtics a final chance to win it. Pritchard’s would-be buzzer-beater from 13 feet missed the mark.
Tyrese Maxey led all scorers with 40 points, carrying the Sixers’ big three while Paul George sat out with an injury and the visibly limited Joel Embiid was held to four points on 1-of-9 shooting in 20 minutes.
The Celtics will face the New York Knicks on Friday night at Madison Square Garden.
Head coach Joe Mazzulla has said the Celtics’ starting lineup could change from game to game this season, but on opening night, it featured five returning players: Pritchard, White, Brown, Sam Hauser and Queta. Mazzulla’s first sub was another holdover: Xavier Tillman, who checked in for Queta after three minutes
An end-of-the-bench player last season, Tillman set himself up for a larger role by cleaning up a lingering issue and improving his explosiveness this summer.
