Boston Celtics
Queta had probably the greatest video games of his life, whereas Jaylen Brown put up LeBron James numbers.
Neemias Queta and Jaylen Brown led the way in which for the Celtics, who pulled away within the fourth quarter to assert a 114-98 victory over the 76ers on Sunday.
Listed here are the takeaways.
Neemias Queta had probably the greatest video games of his life.
Queta has been one of the essential tales of the season for the Celtics up to now — he surpassed “viable placeholder” standing way back, which itself would have made his season a large success — however even by his requirements, his efficiency towards the Sixers was excellent.
Queta completed with 27 factors and 17 rebounds, after a masterful first half during which he tallied 16 factors, 12 rebounds and two blocks. Seven of his rebounds have been offensive, a part of a efficiency during which the Celtics rebounded 50 p.c of their misses within the first half.
Queta additionally made numerous spotlight performs that left the Celtics bench chortling, like this steal the place he performed far sufficient off Andre Drummond to select off the opposing large man’s entry cross, adopted by a wonderfully timed pick-and-roll and a large two-handed slam.
Or performs like this slithering layup, the place Queta absorbed a success from two totally different Sixers gamers and nonetheless powered his approach to the rim to complete with finesse off the glass.
Queta was quiet within the third quarter after his first-half explosion, however he was instrumental late within the fourth, scoring eight straight factors from 2:56 to 1:19 to show off the lights.
Afterward, Queta advised reporters, the sport is “a lot simpler for me proper now.”
“Simply the quantity of repetitions I’ve been having with these guys daily,” he stated. “Form of perceive what they like, what they don’t like. The sport is simply slowing down for me, too. As soon as stuff like that occurs, once they’ve obtained two guys on the ball, simply me having the ability to go on the market and be a risk for defenses makes us a lot extra harmful.
“Every time that stuff occurs, I’m simply attempting to capitalize.”
Jaylen Brown, who was one of many gamers chuckling on the bench as Queta swooped by the lane within the first half, pumped the brakes barely.
“You recognize, hey,” Brown stated, after which paused and laughed. “We don’t need him to get too carried away with a few of these. However he was changing them tonight and it seemed good.”
The positives and negatives of Nikola Vucevic
Vucevic had a extremely stable second half, scoring eight of his 11 factors, together with a pair of 3-pointers, and grabbing seven of his 12 rebounds. He shot properly for the second sport in a row, and his flooring spacing was a reminder of what the Celtics misplaced once they needed to bid farewell to Al Horford and Kristaps Porzingis.
“As he continues to simply get higher and higher, it’s simply one other piece that we will unlock and and also you type of noticed that within the second half on each ends,” Mazzulla stated.
Brown added that he thinks Vucevic ought to be getting 10 photographs per sport at minimal.
“Tonight he was at 9,” Brown stated. “I’d prefer to see him get a bit bit extra photographs, as a result of he’s an enormous risk for our crew.”
However, Vucevic’s flaws are significantly evident towards a crew just like the Sixers, who run all the things they do by two very dynamic guards in Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe. Vucevic will not be fleet-footed, so he performs protection primarily within the pick-and-roll, which supplies Maxey and Edgecombe loads of house to get off the photographs they need.
Mazzulla praised Vucevic’s protection and famous that the Celtics want him to guard the rim and get deflections.
Nevertheless, the Sixers might have been an ideal explainer as to why Queta stays the Celtics’ beginning large man: Vucevic suits the crew like a glove and is a lethal accomplice within the second unit alongside Pritchard, however on the threat of overstating a loud and typically unhelpful stat, he was -4 within the field rating whereas Queta was +20.
Right here’s the bigger, and way more essential, level: In case you advised Celtics followers in September that they’d purchase Vucevic on the deadline and that he could be the back-up large man as a result of Queta was taking part in so properly on each ends, there could be dancing on Causeway Road.
“It’s all the time a puzzle piece, so I’m very happy with the final two video games from our bigs,” Brown stated.
Jaylen Brown’s passing was glorious.
Brown had a LeBron James-esque stat line with 27 factors, eight rebounds and eight assists, however his passing was significantly noteworthy — Brown’s eight assists included a number of gems like this transition alley-oop he threaded to Hugo González.
A lot of Brown’s enchancment as a passer has been arrange by the enhancements he has made to his deal with. He has turned himself right into a shifty participant whilst he added muscle and power through the years, to the purpose that now when defenses collapse on him, he can play slowly sufficient to select counterintuitive passes as performs develop.
“I believed he actually picked his spots very well in seeking to assault and seeking to distribute, always creating 2-on-1s,” Mazzulla stated. “I feel his belief in Neemi additionally gave Neemi a superb sport, and his means to make performs within the seam, after which taking part in off of Derrick and Sam and Baylor and people guys.”
The Celtics, apparently, are simply be good at rebounding now.
For the reason that calendar flipped to 2026, the Celtics have the NBA’s second-best complete rebounding share (54.2 p.c, trailing solely the Hornets) and the second-best defensive rebounding share (72.8 p.c, trailing solely the Hornets). They’re rebounding 35.1 p.c of their misses, which is nice for third behind solely the Hornets and the Rockets.
On Sunday, the Celtics grabbed 59 rebounds, 19 of which have been offensive. Their two bigs accounted for 29 of these boards, however Brown grabbed eight, and Derrick White pulled down six.
The Celtics have been speculated to be one of many NBA’s worst rebounding groups, however in true Joe Mazzulla style, he appears to have turned one in every of their weaknesses right into a power.
“Once you play towards a crew like [the Sixers], and also you lose two video games within the margins and the distinction is 4 factors in three video games, that’s what that stuff comes all the way down to,” Mazzulla stated.
Baylor Scheierman has a brand new celebration.
Scheierman suffered a fractured left thumb towards the Nets on Friday (which is his capturing hand), however he was again within the beginning lineup on Sunday carrying an enormous wrap.
His shot didn’t look significantly snug — Scheierman is capturing 37 p.c from deep this 12 months, however he was simply 2-for-9 on Sunday.
Nonetheless, Scheierman was wholesome sufficient to hit the ultimate shot of the primary half, and he had an ideal new celebration able to go: An enormous thumbs up within the air, which his teammates mimicked.
Scheierman, it appears, is a grasp of hand-injury-related celebrations – he was additionally behind Jayson Tatum’s wrist-holding celebration after Tatum suffered a painful wrist harm towards a Magic crew that pushed the bounds of decency within the first spherical of final 12 months’s playoffs.
Extra to the purpose: Scheierman performed a hard-nosed defensive sport towards the Sixers. He wasn’t good, nevertheless it’s exhausting to be good towards the likes of Maxey and Edgecombe, and he’s slowly however absolutely establishing himself as a really dependable function participant. A good 3-point shooter who rebounds and defends at a excessive stage and pushes the ball in transition with Scheierman’s dimension has the potential for a prolonged NBA profession.
Credit score to everybody concerned right here
Possibly probably the most memorable play of the sport had zero affect on its consequence.
Late within the fourth quarter, the Sixers have been inside two possessions when Maxey missed a 3-pointer. Edgecombe outhustled Sam Hauser for the rebound however tipped it towards the stands, and he dove into the second row, saving it off Hauser’s leg and out of bounds.
Within the course of, he kicked a girl sitting within the entrance row within the face.
Credit score to Edgecombe, who not solely made probably the greatest saves you’ll ever see on an NBA court docket, however who additionally gave the girl a hug within the aftermath after which caught her eye throughout the prolonged overview course of to apologize once more.
Credit score to the girl, who toughed it out with an enormous smile regardless of a kick to the face that appeared to attract blood.
Credit score to the followers within the second row who caught Edgecombe and helped crowd-surf and deposit him again onto the ground.
Credit score to the printed crew, who have been only a seat or two away from the incident, and who used their proximity to get the names of everybody concerned and directed the girl’s consideration to Edgecombe so he might apologize a second time.
All in all, only a healthful second of NBA hustle.
What’s subsequent
The Celtics will play the second evening of a back-to-back towards the Bucks on Monday. On Wednesday, the surging Hornets will go to Boston earlier than the Celtics tackle Cooper Flagg and the Mavericks on Friday.
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