Boston Celtics (40-20) beat Philadelphia 76ers (33-27) 114-98 at home on Sunday, March 1.
The game, quarter by quarter
The 76ers struck first, taking the opening quarter 28-26 and a 2-point lead after one. The Celtics moved in front with a 36-22 second quarter, carrying a 12-point lead into halftime.
The 76ers won the third 33-27 to stay in front, taking a 6-point lead into the fourth. The Celtics took the fourth 25-15; the Celtics finished the job for a 114-98 regulation win.
What decided it
The Celtics grabbed 41.3% of their own misses, while the 76ers recovered 20%. The Celtics got more from their shots, finishing at 52.7% effective field-goal shooting compared with 46.6% for the 76ers. The second chances kept adding up.
The 76ers did win one battle, ball security: TOV% of 6.4 against 13.8. The Celtics made up for it elsewhere.
At roughly 94 possessions per team, the Celtics produced 121.3 points per 100 possessions to 104.3 for the 76ers.
Who made the difference
Neemias Queta was the game's biggest individual force for BOS: 27 pts, 17 reb, 2 ast, 3 blk on 10-14 shooting. His Game Score of 32 led everyone. His team was +20 with him on the floor.
Tyrese Maxey led the 76ers with 33 pts, 3 reb, 6 ast on 12-34 shooting, good for a 21.1 Game Score.
Neemias Queta (27 pts, 17 reb, 2 ast), Nikola Vucevic (11 pts, 12 reb, 0 ast), and Andre Drummond (10 pts, 12 reb, 4 ast) each recorded a double-double.
What it means
The result fit the pre-game Win Meter, which gave the Celtics about a 80% chance.
Across the last 7 meetings in our records, Boston Celtics lead 4-3.
The Celtics are now 40-20, and the 76ers are 33-27. The Celtics last five before this game: W-W-W-L-W.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.