In a nail-biting showdown that had fans on the edge of their seats, the Boston Celtics narrowly escaped disaster for the second time in as many clashes with the Philadelphia 76ers. This time, at Xfinity Mobile Arena on Friday night, the Celtics clung to a razor-thin 109-108 victory, staving off a monumental comeback and kickstarting their NBA Cup campaign on a high note.
It was déjà vu with a twist. Just like in Philly’s season-opening triumph at TD Garden, Boston blew a commanding double-digit lead in the second half. But unlike that gut-wrenching loss, the Celtics showed unbreakable resolve, surviving botched inbounds passes, missed free throws, and a furious 76ers rally that erased a 24-point deficit to tie the game midway through the third quarter. Even as Philly slashed a 10-point gap to just one in the dying seconds, Joel Embiid’s desperate final heave never left his hands, sealing Boston’s hard-fought win.
The triumph marked the Celtics’ third straight victory, boosting Joe Mazzulla’s squad back to .500 after a rocky 0-3 start. For the undefeated 76ers, it was a bitter first loss, dropping them to 4-1. More importantly, it handed Boston a 1-0 edge in NBA Cup group play, fueling dreams of deeper tournament runs.
“Just grit,” Jaylen Brown summed it up to Amazon Prime’s Cassidy Hubbarth postgame. “We thugged it out. Made a bunch of mistakes, but we found a way to win in the end.”
Brown embodied that grit—and the chaos. Despite coughing up five turnovers and missing a crucial free throw late, he erupted for a game-high 32 points on sizzling 13-of-19 shooting, dishing six assists, grabbing three rebounds, and adding a steal and block. His heroics were backed by Boston’s dynamic backcourt: Payton Pritchard, Derrick White, and Anfernee Simons, who combined for 49 points. Pritchard and White battled through 3-point woes, but Simons shone brightest, posting a plus-23 in 29 minutes and anchoring a bench unit that outhustled Philly all night. Every Celtic reserve finished with a minus-1 or better plus-minus, while all starters dipped to minus-3 or worse.
On the other side, the 76ers’ stars delivered fireworks. Tyrese Maxey dazzled with 26 points, 14 rebounds, and eight assists, while rookie sensation VJ Edgecombe chipped in 17 points, five rebounds, and five assists. Joel Embiid, far more dominant than in their October 22 clash, added 20 points, four rebounds, and six assists—but it wasn’t enough to complete the epic comeback.
The Celtics now turn their attention to a tough back-to-back, hosting Kevin Durant, Ime Udoka, and the Houston Rockets on Saturday at 8 p.m.
From the jump, Boston looked unstoppable. Brown and Pritchard torched Philly in the first quarter, going a flawless 10-for-10 on two-pointers with silky midrange mastery. Pritchard, still hunting his rhythm from deep after his Sixth Man of the Year season, has been lethal inside the arc—entering the game at 77.8% from 3-10 feet and 66.7% from 10-16 feet, per Basketball-Reference.
Mazzulla stuck with his hot lineup for the third game running, featuring Josh Minott, who impressed against New Orleans and Cleveland. Minott started strong, snagging an offensive board and drawing the daunting task of shadowing Maxey, but two quick fouls on Embiid sent him to the bench early, drawing Mazzulla’s ire.
That opened the door for rookie Hugo Gonzalez, who’d seen scant action lately. The 19-year-old injected instant energy, setting up White for open threes with hustle plays and drilling a transition triple off a Neemias Queta block. Minott later returned for 22 minutes, hauling in eight rebounds despite going 0-for-5 from the field.
But the real game-changer was Simons, who dominated both ends. Boston outscored Philly by 17 in his 15 first-half minutes, where he dropped 14 points, hit 3-of-6 from beyond the arc—including a buzzer-beating fadeaway—and swatted Embiid’s dunk attempt despite the size mismatch.
Riding that wave, the Celtics ballooned their lead to 24 in the first half. Then came the storm: a 23-4 Sixers blitz spanning the late second and early third quarters, shrinking the margin to 68-63. Brown, on the floor for the entire run, struggled with three turnovers and a missed shot, his frustration boiling over against referee Courtney Kirkland’s crew.
After drawing contact on a drive without a call, then getting whistled for a foul on a fast-break breakup, Brown erupted and earned a technical. Moments later, another turnover let Philly knot it at 72-72.
Brown fired back with seven rapid points—a deep three and a putback—reclaiming momentum. The bench amplified it: Luka Garza splashed a midranger and corner three off Pritchard feeds, but Gonzalez stole the show with his relentless motor. In an eight-minute frenzy, he slammed a fast-break dunk, snared three offensive boards (one off an inbounds), sprinted cross-court to contest Quentin Grimes’ “open” dunk, and dove for a loose ball.
Gonzalez ended plus-10 in 15 minutes before fouling out—taking an accidental knee from Embiid in the process.
Xavier Tillman’s late three pushed Boston to 105-95 with 5:15 left, and Brown’s trey made it 108-98 at 3:11. Philly stormed back, but never grabbed the lead in this heart-pounding affair.
Looking ahead in the NBA Cup, Boston faces Orlando next Friday, then Brooklyn (Nov. 21) and Detroit (Nov. 26) at home. Group winners and the top wild card per conference advance to knockouts, with tiebreakers on record, head-to-head, and point differential.
The Celtics reached quarterfinals in the inaugural In-Season Tournament (2023) and last year’s NBA Cup but never advanced further. Semis and finals head to Vegas, with hefty bonuses: $530,933 per player for champs, $212,373 for runners-up, $106,187 for semifinalists, and $53,093 for quarterfinalists, per Front Office Sports.
In a game that tested nerves and showcased resilience, the Celtics proved they’re built for the big moments—keeping their Cup aspirations burning bright.