5 takeaways: Celtics drop season-opener to 76ers

BOSTON — With under four minutes remaining in the game, the Celtics had just responded to a knockout punch from the 76ers by building a nine-point lead that seemingly put win No. 1 with their new-look squad on the horizon. What they perhaps didn’t expect was another punch from their opposition.

This one was fatal.

ESPN’s analytics had predicted the Celtics had a 91.3 percent chance to win their season-opener when they led by six with 3:33 left. What happened over the final minutes dramatically flipped the game’s outcome.

Philadelphia connected on multiple offensive possessions, eventually securing a four-point advantage with less than a minute remaining. The Celtics were forced to foul before VJ Edgecombe missed two free throws to keep them within reach of a one-point game.

Payton Pritchard missed two potential game-winning shots in the game’s final moments, resulting in the Celtics losing 117-116 to the 76ers. Tyrese Maxey scored 40 points, combining for 74 points with Edgecombe, who was stellar with 34 points for the most by a rookie in his debut since Wilt Chamberlain had 43 points in his debut in 1959, in their first game together.

It definitely was not the way Boston had hoped to begin its first season with a fresh roster and new ownership group.

“It’s tough, definitely a winnable game for us,” Jaylen Brown said. “We had some opportunities even at the end, we had some opportunities. It didn’t go our way. It’s a learning experience.

“It’s going to be a learning experience. We’ve got a bunch of new guys. We’re playing a new style. I thought we played hard today.”

Here are five takeaways from the Celtics’ defeat at home.

The Celtics trailed by six points at halftime. They were struggling to take care of the basketball — turning it over six times in 12 minutes — with a poor shot-making ability, especially with a 2-of-13 mark from deep in the quarter. Something had to change.

Insert Derrick White.

White scored 13 of his 25 points out of the halftime break, helping the Celtics put together a 9-0 scoring run that yielded a double-digit lead. He was especially impressive midway through the third quarter when he nailed a 3-pointer before rejecting a shot on the other end. His 3-point shooting was inconsistent outside of his hot third quarter, drilling only four of his 13 attempts from behind the arc.

So how was the third quarter any different?

“Finally, make a wide-open shot,” White said. “I felt like I was getting really good looks most of the game, I just was missing them. Then, finally made a couple, so that’s probably the biggest difference.”

After scoring 35 points and limiting Philadelphia to 18 points in the third quarter, Boston failed to put away its opponent. Instead, it completely lost control.

The 76ers scored 42 points in the fourth quarter, mostly without former NBA MVP Joel Embiid. Their star center hit his minutes restriction early in the final 12 minutes, appearing in only three fourth-quarter minutes. Embiid had four points on 1-of-6 shooting.

Maxey and Edgecombe’s combined 74 points made up most of Philadelphia’s offense. Maxey played with five fouls for most of the fourth quarter, avoiding fouling out while scoring 15 points.

“If you give up 42 (points), you probably give up a little bit of everything,” Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla said. “I think lost Maxey on a couple pick-and-rolls where we went under instead of chasing him over, getting him an inside 3. Again, a few transition opportunities, whether it was a live-ball turnover or the byproduct of not getting an offensive rebound. And then offensive rebound 3s and some shot making by some of those guys. When you give up that many, it's probably a little bit of everything. We’ve just got to clean up some of those things.”

Turnovers, or the lack thereof, hindered the Celtics’ ability to secure their first win of the 2025-26 season. They generated 13 through the first three quarters but only forced one in the fourth quarter.

It was a stark difference compared with the team’s strong performance out of halftime.

“I thought we had a good pace in the third quarter,” Brown said. “We came out from the half running, getting up and down, make or miss, get the ball out, play with pace. Fourth quarter, maybe we slowed down a little bit. Maybe there’s a little fatigue. I don’t know, first game. We def want to keep our pace in the fourth quarter. Im one of the believers that fourth quarter, I know everybody thinks you’ve got to slow down, but why? You can keep playing fast. We just turned the ball over too much. I think in the fourth, that was the difference.”

Even after giving up its lead, Boston still had two potential game-winning shots in the game’s final moments. Payton Pritchard missed a layup and a 13-foot jumper as the buzzer sounded, ending any chance of escaping his home floor with a victory.

“Looking to get the ball into our playmaker’s hands and make a play,” Mazzulla said. “So we got the ball in the paint, got a decent look and that’s all you can do is get it to those guys, and they gave us a chance to win.”

Neemias Queta received the starting nod at center for the Celtics, who rotated him with Xavier Tillman and Chris Boucher.

Queta impressed in his seventh career start, posting 17 points and eight rebounds. He made multiple trips to the charity stripe, where he hit three of his four attempts.

“He’s got it in him to be good for us,” Mazzulla said. “He did some really good things. Standard is high for him, I thought he answered the call. He just has to continue to get better and better.”

The 7-foot big man fouled out with 1:42 remaining in the contest, as the Celtics still led by three points. But it wasn’t before he showed how he could contribute to his team.

“He was great,” White said. “Just being available, obviously a big target and a small touch around the hoop as well. He did a lot of things out there for us and competed at a high level. That’s the [Queta] you’re going to need the whole year.”

Tillman scored only four points, but he was a force on the glass and defensive end. He grabbed seven rebounds with two steals. His first takeaway occurred against Embiid, who lost the ball twice against Tillman on the same possession. It sparked a fastbreak, which ended with an easy Tillman layup and an assist for Brown.

“His defense, his ability to defend, and when they went zone, he set some good screens for us,” Mazzulla said. “Got us some advantages on the offensive end. Had some good possessions on Embiid. When he’s open, he’s got to have the confidence to continue to shoot.”

Boucher played 16 minutes — the same as Tillman — in this Celtics debut, showcasing his offensive execution with six points on 2-of-4 shooting. He knocked down two free throws while grabbing four rebounds. Luka Garza played only six minutes, entering concussion protocol when he hit his head on the floor late in the second quarter. No update was given on Garza after the game.

Issues with 3-point shooting resurfaced for the Celtics, who made just 11 of their 43 shots (25.6 percent) from behind the arc. White was the only Celtic with more than two made 3-pointers. Pritchard shot the worse of any Boston player with a 1-of-7 mark.

Mazzulla and his players have discussed a new offensive system, one that is much more than shooting 3-pointers. Mazzulla recently firecely defended shooting too many 3-pointers in a preseason postgame press conference when asked about his team’s shots from deep. He explained his team’s offense is about finding the two-on-one opportunities — not a 3-pointer.

Regardless of how Mazzulla and the Celtics characterize their offense, they must improve their 3-point shooting if they are to compete in the NBA. Last season, they shot 36.8 percent from deep before losing to the Knicks in the second round of the playoffs.

Along with 3-point shooting, Boston struggled to successfully move the basketball to find open shots. It recorded only 16 assists, the second lowest since it posted 13 assists vs the Magic in a 108-104 loss on December 23, 2024. Brown had three assists in the first quarter before accumulating one more throughout the rest of the contest. White tied Brown with four assists, the Celtics’ team-high in the category.