Celtics present flashes, however 76ers declare season opener

Rookie wing VJ Edgecombe seemed greater than definitely worth the Sixers’ sturdy tanking efforts final season in his regular-season debut.

Philadelphia 76ers guard VJ Edgecombe drives to the basket towards Celtics guard Anfernee Simons in the course of the second half. AP Photograph/Charles Krupa

The Celtics confirmed flashes of what they are often at their finest this season, however the 76ers acquired a historic rookie efficiency from VJ Edgecombe and an enormous recreation from Tyrese Maxey to take the season opener.

Listed here are the takeaways.

VJ Edgecombe and Tyrese Maxey each seemed unimaginable

Rookie wing VJ Edgecombe seemed greater than definitely worth the Sixers’ sturdy tanking efforts final season in his regular-season debut. Edgecombe broke the NBA report for many factors within the first quarter by a rookie with 14, surpassing LeBron James’ report of 12, and he broke the Sixers’ report for factors in a rookie debut of 30 set by Allen Iverson, pouring in 34 on 13-for-26 taking pictures, together with a number of earth-shaking dunks.

“For a rookie to return in, first recreation and put up (these numbers), it was spectacular,” Derrick White mentioned. “I don’t know if I’ve ever seen someone have that in his debut, however he had a very good recreation.”

Level guard Tyrese Maxey, in the meantime, seemed each bit as much as the duty of being the Sixers’ main celebrity this season, pushing the Sixers out to a halftime lead and pulling them again from the brink when Boston threatened to drag away within the fourth. Maxey completed with a large 40-point outing, operating rampant by means of a Celtics’ protection that struggled to get again and defend him each time they missed pictures.

The Sixers are removed from an ideal roster, however tanking final season seems to have labored wonders for them, and as The Course of Pt. 1 seems to be coming to a detailed (extra on that in a minute), they seem very effectively set as much as start The Course of Pt. 2.

The ultimate play(s) had been presupposed to be for Jaylen Brown

After letting a double-digit lead slip away, the Celtics seemed like they had been executed, however Edgecombe missed two late free throws that gifted them a remaining likelihood.

With eight seconds left, Derrick White struggled to inbound the ball earlier than lastly dishing to Payton Pritchard. Pritchard drove into the paint and had his shot blocked out of bounds with simply over a second remaining.

On their final, final likelihood, the Celtics as soon as once more handed to Pritchard, who created slightly house however missed the potential game-winner.

In keeping with Pritchard, the play was designed for Jaylen Brown.

“They sort of shadowed it,” Pritchard mentioned. “I acquired it, attacked, most likely simply made the unsuitable learn. Anfernee (Simons and Sam (Hauser) had been open on the again facet, in order that’s only a cross I’ve acquired to make.”

For his half, Mazzulla mentioned the objective was to get the ball to the Celtics’ ball-handlers.

“We acquired the ball into the paint, acquired an honest look,” Mazzulla mentioned. “It’s all you are able to do is get it to these guys, and so they gave us an opportunity to win.”

The Celtics would possibly remorse letting that one slip

On the threat of sounding overly reductive, the Celtics actually need to get wins this season when the alternatives presents themselves, and Wednesday’s recreation was a first-rate instance.

On an evening when the participant finest suited to harm them seemed like a shell of himself, and once they constructed a double-digit second-half lead towards a shaky roster propped up by two superhuman performances, the Celtics couldn’t declare their first win of the season.

That places them in a precarious place over their first seven video games. Their subsequent contest is on the street towards the Knicks, who’re broadly thought of a real championship contender this season. That’s the beginning of a three-games-in-four-night stretch, throughout which their most beatable opponent (the Pelicans) is the opponent they face final. They then tackle the Cavaliers (one other championship contender), this 76ers crew once more, and the Rockets (one more championship contender, who seemed like a heavyweight of their showdown towards the Thunder on Tuesday).

When the mud settles, the Celtics may very well be in a troublesome place within the standings, and whereas it’s nonetheless clearly very early within the season, this isn’t final yr’s roster – digging out of an early gap can be far more tough.

The Jaylen Brown/Derrick White tandem debuted effectively

Brown and White scored 25 factors apiece of their debut as the brand new Celtics stars. Brown dished out 4 assists early and shot 9-for-18 from the ground, and he performed the sort of affected person flooring recreation the Celtics want from him within the absence of Jayson Tatum.

Previous to the sport, Brown was questionable with a hamstring harm suffered throughout preseason.

“It was fantastic. I assumed it held up effectively,” Brown mentioned. “Positively acquired to do some restoration. Throughout the first two weeks getting back from a pressure, you’ve acquired to just remember to get your restoration in as a result of that’s when the chance is at its highest.

So I’ve simply acquired to verify I’m specializing in my physique, getting my relaxation, doing my restoration, and preparing for the subsequent recreation.”

White, in the meantime, went ice-cold with the remainder of his teammates from three within the second quarter – at one level, the Celtics missed 9 straight – however he got here alive within the third, and he labored his technique to the road seven instances.

Anfernee Simons seemed like a pleasant addition

The Celtics reportedly spent the summer time checking on what they might get for Simons on the commerce market, and that possibility remains to be doubtless on the desk – that is, in any case, a crew very a lot in flux – however the early returns are promising.

Simons was as marketed offensively. He hit a number of 3-pointers that hardly disturbed the web on their means by means of, he attacked the basket in late-shot-clock conditions and created offense out of nothing, and at one level within the fourth quarter, he exploded to the rim and elevated so rapidly off the bottom that Tyrese Maxey might solely leap out of his means futilely as Simons thundered residence a two-handed slam.

Defensively, Simons was clearly making an attempt to make a very good impression. He was persistently down in a stance guarding ball-handlers, he ripped Maxey in transition at one level because the Sixers’ speedy guard flew to the rim, and – maybe most significantly – he battled his means over and round screens with out getting caught, which has been one in every of his largest issues as a defender. He nonetheless is unlikely to be a optimistic on the defensive finish, however he was undeniably a optimistic general.

Simons completed with 13 factors on 5-for-10 taking pictures. On a crew that misplaced its main bucket-getter final season, he might make up among the distinction.

The duality of Neemias Queta

The Celtics acquired the complete vary of the Neemias Queta expertise within the fourth quarter – the excellent, and the very unhealthy.

Queta had a very good recreation general – 17 factors on 7-for-8 taking pictures and eight rebounds, together with two massive offensive ones. Within the fourth quarter, he scored on 4 out of 5 consecutive possessions together with three in a row. The Celtics wanted a giant efficiency from a giant man, and so they acquired one.

“He’s acquired it in him to be good for us, and he did some actually good issues,” Joe Mazzulla mentioned. “The usual’s excessive for him.”

Then again, Queta dedicated a nasty offensive foul setting a shifting display screen at a crucial second with 2:45 remaining and the Celtics nursing a four-point lead, and he fouled out a minute later sending Maxey to the free-throw line. Down the stretch, the Celtics wanted Queta, who most likely wouldn’t have short-armed the essential put-back try that Xavier Tillman missed.

The Celtics have a number of flawed-but-useful massive males who can every do some little bit of one thing, however not all the pieces. Queta ceaselessly reveals flashes of brilliance adopted by moments that can go away Celtics followers pulling at their hair.

The Joel Embiid Period seems to be prefer it could be in peril

The primary indicator that the 76ers’ massive man won’t be totally himself was that he didn’t leap the opening tip, leaving the job to 76ers beginning ahead Dominick Barlow, who additionally had the odd distinction of being an Opening Evening starter on a two-way contract.

The second indicator that Embiid wasn’t himself was the primary Celtics’ possession, on which Neemias Queta set a display screen for Derrick White, and Embiid stayed up to now again within the lane, it was slightly complicated who he was really supposed to protect. Ultimately, White noticed the quantity of house he would have any time Queta set a display screen, and the Celtics began going instantly at Embiid each time potential.

On the opposite finish, Embiid hoisted a number of half-hearted jumpers and tried one half-hearted publish transfer towards Xavier Tillman earlier than bailing midway by means of, and Tillman poked the ball away. When Embiid sat down midway by means of the quarter, the Sixers seemed extra like a coherent basketball crew.

Issues went from unhealthy to worse the remainder of the way in which. At one level, Embiid tried to publish up Sam Hauser and didn’t do any injury. His presence within the recreation coincided with the perfect offensive moments by far for the Celtics, and he sat late with simply 4 factors on 1-for-9 taking pictures.

Embiid’s measurement and harm historical past all the time meant that his growing old course of was unlikely to be sleek, however it was nonetheless jarring to see him shifting so poorly this early within the season. The Sixers have loads of optimism on their roster, however the Joel Embiid period of The Course of didn’t appear to be it was in a very good place on Opening Evening.

What’s Subsequent

The Celtics now hit the street on a considerably nonsensical street journey: They’ll journey to Madison Sq. Backyard to tackle the Knicks on Friday earlier than flying to Detroit for a matchup towards the rising Pistons on Sunday. When that recreation wraps up, they’ll journey to New Orleans to face the Pelicans on Monday.