In a heart-wrenching 117-116 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday night, the Boston Celtics had victory within their grasp but let it slip away in the final moments. With the game on the line and just 1.6 seconds remaining, the Celtics aimed to get the ball to star guard Jaylen Brown. However, a defensive clampdown by Sixers guard Quentin Grimes left Brown smothered, forcing a last-second pivot that ended in disappointment.
First-year Celtic Anfernee Simons, tasked with inbounding the ball, looked for Brown but found him heavily guarded. Instead, Simons passed to reigning Sixth Man of the Year Payton Pritchard. Despite Pritchard’s reputation for clutch shooting, he couldn’t shake his defender, and his potential game-winning jumper rimmed out.
Derrick White, who led the Celtics alongside Brown with 25 points, didn’t shy away from dissecting the final play. “We were trying to get it to [Brown],” White admitted. “They did a good job of denying him.” Despite the misfire, White expressed confidence in Pritchard, adding, “He came to the ball, and we obviously trust P in those situations a lot. I wouldn’t change much.”
Embed X: https://twitter.com/CelticsCLNS/status/1981182501650575459
Pritchard had another chance to steal the game with 3.3 seconds left, but his layup attempt clanged off the rim. Still, he contributed a solid 16 points, five rebounds, and two steals in the loss.
The Celtics’ woes extended beyond the final play. With 3:47 remaining, center Neemias Queta’s acrobatic layup gave Boston a commanding 109-100 lead. But from there, the Sixers mounted a furious comeback, outscoring the Celtics 17-7 in a blistering 42-point fourth quarter to flip the game.
Jaylen Brown, the longest-tenured Celtic, lamented the missed opportunity. “It’s tough,” he said. “Definitely a winnable game for us. We had some opportunities. Even at the end, we had some opportunities. It didn’t go our way.” Brown pointed to the team’s inexperience, noting, “It’s a learning experience. From day one, we got a bunch of new guys. We’re playing a new style. I thought we played hard today, but some crucial errors cost us.”
With star Jayson Tatum sidelined by a ruptured Achilles and several starters from last season traded away, the 2025-26 Celtics are a work in progress. Their defensive struggles were evident as Philadelphia’s guards, Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe, combined for 74 points. The Sixers also shot an impressive 40% from three-point range, while Boston managed just 25.6% from deep. Despite winning the turnover battle and shooting more efficiently from the free-throw line, the Celtics couldn’t overcome their defensive lapses.
Embed X: https://twitter.com/danield1214/status/1981195557415899230
Brown remained optimistic despite the setback. “I’m looking forward to watching film and learning and staying with the journey,” he said. “We got a new group that’s still figuring things out. Some of these other teams have played together for a little bit more, so there’s going to be some ups and downs.”
The loss marked Boston’s first season-opening defeat since 2021, but the Celtics won’t have to wait long for a shot at redemption. On Halloween, they’ll face the Sixers again in Philadelphia for an NBA Cup showdown. Before that, Boston takes on the New York Knicks on Friday night at Madison Square Garden. The Knicks, who eliminated the Celtics in six games during the 2025 NBA Playoffs, present an opportunity for the 0-1 C’s to make a statement against their 1-0 rivals.
As the Celtics navigate a season of transition, Brown emphasized the long-term perspective: “I’m looking forward to when we get to that point where we catch our wind, and what that could possibly be.” For now, Boston’s new-look roster will need to learn quickly from this meltdown to avoid repeating it.