Boston Celtics Notch Huge Win Over Philadelphia 76ers Behind a Great Night From Neemias Queta

The Sixers came into TD Garden on Sunday night riding a three-game winning streak. They left with a reality check. Boston handed Philadelphia a 114-98 loss — and it wasn’t particularly close. The Celtics didn’t just win this game. They dominated it in every way that matters: on the glass, on defense, and in the paint. When the final buzzer sounded, the box score told a story that Sixers fans won’t enjoy reading.

Neemias Queta Turned In the Performance Of His Life

Neemias Queta was absolutely ridiculous on Sunday night. The Boston center finished with a career-high 27 points, 16 rebounds (10 offensive), 3 blocks, and a steal in just 27 minutes. His first-half stat line, 16 points, 12 boards, 7 offensive rebounds, and 2 blocks, was so absurd that it had only been matched twice in the entire play-by-play era, most recently by Kevin Garnett back in 2003.

Queta didn’t just beat the Sixers. He embarrassed them. He stole an Andre Drummond pass and converted the fast-break dunk. He finished up-and-under layups between two defenders like he’d been doing it for years. He grabbed offensive rebounds with one hand and laid them straight back in. TD Garden gave him a standing ovation. He earned every second of it.

When a backup center playing his way into a starting role goes for a Kevin Garnett comparison in the first half, you know it’s going to be a long night for the other team.

The Celtics Win the Night Where It Mattered Most

Boston outrebounded Philadelphia 58-37. That number alone tells you how lopsided this game really was. The Celtics owned the offensive glass with a 19-10 advantage, and that second-chance production kept them afloat early when their three-point shooting was ice cold (3-for-13 in the first quarter alone).

Jaylen Brown flirted with a triple-double, and Derrick White knocked down five threes on his way to 21 points. Baylor Scheierman, playing through a fractured thumb on his shooting hand, drained a buzzer-beating three to give Boston a 62-50 halftime lead and sent the crowd into a frenzy. The guy celebrated with a thumbs-up. You really can’t script that.

Nikola Vucevic quietly added 11 points and 12 rebounds as Boston’s second big. The Celtics simply had more size, more depth, and more energy from the center position than Philadelphia could handle on this night.

The Sixers Had Eight Good Minutes and 40 Forgettable Ones

Credit where it’s due — Philadelphia came out swinging. The Sixers jumped out to a 10-point lead, and for a brief stretch, it looked like they might actually pull off something special in Boston without their two biggest names. Then the Celtics called a pair of timeouts. And just like that, it was over.

Tyrese Maxey finished with 33 points, but his 12-for-34 shooting line tells a more honest story. He went 4-for-18 in the first half. To his credit, Maxey settled down after halftime and willed himself into a respectable final number. But with Joel Embiid out and Paul George suspended, Philly needed more than respectable.

VJ Edgecombe had another energetic performance — 23 points, relentless hustle, and a fourth-quarter dive into the stands where he accidentally caught a fan in the face before immediately stopping to hug her.

The Paul George-Sized Hole Is Very, Very Real

This game made something crystal clear: the Sixers genuinely miss George. Not because George is a superstar in 2026. He’s not. But he was the guy who made everyone else’s job easier. On offense, he was the best off-ball player in Philadelphia’s rotation — a secondary scorer and shot creator who could function with or without Embiid and Maxey on the floor. On defense, his presence and communication transformed this team from a liability into something respectable on that end.

George has served 13 of his 25-game suspension. He’s eligible to return on March 25. Right now, Nick Nurse is trying to patch together lineups with duct tape and determination. Drummond, who struggled mightily against Queta early and finished as a minus in the box score for the 11th time in 13 games, is a real problem when Embiid is unavailable. His mobility has declined sharply, and Queta exposed that ruthlessly.

The Sixers managed George’s absence well enough to string together a few wins. But against high-level competition? On the road? Without Embiid? This is what happens.

What Comes Next

The Sixers head back to Philadelphia for a back-to-back, starting Tuesday against the San Antonio Spurs. The winning streak is gone. The rotation holes are glaring. And the Celtics look like exactly the kind of team that will be a nightmare for Philadelphia in the first round of the playoffs.