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The Boston Celtics hosted the 76ers Sunday night in their final clash of the regular season. Boston’s first game of March resulted in their 40th win of the season, 114-98. Neemias Queta had a monster outing for the home team, with a 27-point, 17-rebound double-double performance. Jaylen Brown had 27 points, Derrick White chipped in 21 points, 8 assists as the C’s weathered the 76ers numerous runs all night.
The Celtics came into the game off the back of a big 37-point win over the Nets on Friday night. Baylor Scheierman started the game with a heavily bandaged fractured thumb alongside White, Queta, Brown, and Sam Hauser. Philly started the game with VJ Edgecombe, Tyrese Maxey, Kelly Oubre Jr., Andre Drummond, and Dominick Barlow.
The Sixers hit their first 3 shots of the game as they shot out to a quick 8-2 lead. Hauser nailed a triple in rhythm to cut it back to three points. Boston squared the score at 10 apiece, led by Queta, who was active early in the contest with 5 early points.
Brown threw down a big two-handed dunk, which woke the crowd up at the six-and-a-half-minute mark. Hugo Gonzalez, Payton Pritchard, and Nikola Vucevic were the first three Celts off the bench for Boston after the first TV timeout. Vucevic drilled his first corner three of the game, but Philly had the early eight-point lead, 23-15, as they shot 60% from downtown to start the game. Maxey paced the visitors with 8 points in the first 8 minutes.
Jordan Walsh came into the game in the stopper role and was immediately given the defensive assignment on Maxey. Boston was just 5-21 from the field to start the first quarter as the 76ers got the lead out into double figures. Walsh rattled home a triple after Queta grabbed his fifth offensive board against the smaller Philly frontcourt.
White scored in the paint to cut Philly’s lead to just 2 points. Adem Bona fouled Brown on a layup attempt with a chance to tie the game with 27 seconds to go in the quarter. Boston went on a late 7-0 run to make it a 2-point game heading into the 2nd quarter, 26-28.
Hauser hit his second three of the game to start the second quarter; White hit a pair of free throws as Boston took their first lead of the game after playing from behind throughout the first quarter, 32-30. Queta continued to pound the offensive glass, the big fella going on his own 8-0 run as he had 16 points and 10 boards with seven minutes to go in the second quarter.
Derrick White drained his first three of the night, he deftly re positioned his feet on the perimeter to rise for the shot over Oubre Jr., who was caught flat-footed. Brown threw an insanely quick one-handed pass to Hugo, who caught the ball and scored off the backboard in one motion with no dribble. Boston’s second-quarter surge saw them take a 10-point lead as they outscored Philly 25-13 with 2 minutes and change in the first half.
skipped a cross-court pass to White, who drained a wide-open three as Boston went up 54-45. Drummond got whistled for a technical after throwing up a gun-shooting motion. Queta led the Cs in scoring at the halftime break with 16 points; Brown had 15 points and White 12 points. Scheierman laced the corner triple at the buzzer and threw up his fractured thumb 👍 to end the half, 62-50.
“Let’s go, Celtics” chants rained down at the Garden to start the 3rd quarter. Edgecombe converted a three-pointer and was fouled by White, hitting the extra point. Philly went on an 8-0 run to cut Boston’s lead back to 10 points.
The Cs had three straight trips down the court which resulted in three-pointers. Firstly, Scheierman drained a triple in front of Nick Nurse and the Sixers bench, Vooch hit a straight on triple and White rattled one home as Boston went up by 15 points, 80-65.
Philly immediately cut the lead back to 8 points as Edgecombe hit a fourth three of the night followed by a Maxey transition layup. Walsh drained a three-pointer with time expiring in the third, Maxey matched him with a three of his own, his 26th point, the road team back in the game down 6 points, Boston up 89-83.
Just as Philly mounted another comeback to start the fourth quarter, the Celtics steadied, Vucevic hitting a trailing three as Boston kept the lead at 10 points with 8 minutes to go. Philly’s backcourt pairing of Edgecombe and Maxey provided a decent one-two scoring punch as they hung around.
JB laced a second triple for his 27th point of the night, Boston holding the 76ers at arms length with 5 minutes remaining. Oubre Jr. hit Queta from behind and got whistled for flagrant foul, as the 76ers were running out of time for a comeback win. Pritchard was having an absolute shocker in this one — he was scoreless through 4 quarters and dribbled the ball of his leg.
Edgecombe and Maxey led the Sixers back into the game late, Boston’s lead whittled down to 6 points with just 3 minutes of play to go, the momentum swinging back to the road team. Queta hustled in the paint to retrieve a loss ball and scored over a pair of Philly players. Queta finished the game strong having a career night in scoring 27 points, 17 rebounds as the Celtics prevailed at home and move to 40-20 on the season.
Boston next face the Milwaukee Bucks tomorrow night on the road at 7:30 pm EST.