The Boston Celtics lost a nailbiter to the Philadelphia 76ers in their debut game of the ’25-26 NBA season. The game came down to the wire, with Payton Pritchard getting two attempts at a game winner in the final
10 seconds, but unable to get either to drop in a 117-116 loss.
It always leaves a bitter taste to lose a close game, and even more so when it’s to a rival, and even more so when it’s a home opener. There’s a long season ahead of Boston though, and there are definitely positives to take away from this game. One thing that stood out in particular was the outstanding play of Neemias Queta.
Queta got the starting role for just the seventh time in his career. He took full advantage of the opportunity, winning the opening tip, and making the first basket just 17 seconds into the game. Neemias ran a nice pick-and-roll play with Derrick White. He created plenty of separation for Derrick to get away from Kelly Oubre, and White returned the favor by setting Queta up for a cutting layup with a nifty pass.
The Celtics used this formula quite a bit to keep him involved. All seven of his buckets came off of an assist, six of them involving some form of screen-and-roll, whether that be the standard play, a ghost screen, or a delayed entry pass to take advantage of a switch. PNRs also set Queta up for two of his four free-throw attempts of the game, as well as his only miss of the game, though the miss was the result of a poor/late entry pass from Pritchard allowing Oubre to reach and tip away the lob from Queta.
After the game, Xavier Tillman mentioned that Neemias “set some good screens for us, got us some advantages.” White, who assisted Queta three times, had this to add: “He was great. Just being available. Obviously, a big target. Soft touch around the hoop as well… That’s the Neemy we’re going to need the whole year.”
Offensively, it looked identical to the type of actions Brad Stevens had Robert Williams in all those years ago. It’s the perfect way to take advantage of Queta’s size and athleticism, even though he may not jump out of the building like Rob did. Of course, like Derrick alluded to, the strides Neemy has taken with his ability to catch the ball and finish cleanly in one stride is what enabled his efficient night, and will set him up for more opportunity throughout the season.
In 25 minutes of play, Queta managed put up 17 points on 7-8 shooting to go along with his 8 rebounds. He also went 3-5 from the free-throw line. Unfortunately, fouls still seem to be an issue for him.
He fouled out of the game with just under two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. At that point, the Celtics still held a four-point lead. The disqualifying foul sent Tyrese Maxey to the line, sparking an 8-0 run by Philly that ultimately gave them the edge.
Even still, Queta made a strong case to remain the starting center for this team. Joe Mazzulla took notice and shared some praise for him in the post-game press conference: “He did some really good things for us. The standards are high for him. I thought he answered the call.” There is plenty to build on, but Neemi did an excellent job setting the tone for the season.
