Queta has been a revelation for the Celtics this season and helped them improbably surge into second place in the Eastern Conference. But it is unlikely he or his team envisioned nights like Sunday, when he crafted the best game of his career to propel Boston to a 114-98 win over the 76ers at TD Garden, its 11th in 13 games.
Get Starting Point
A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday.
The 26-year-old center finished with 27 points and 17 rebounds and received ‘MVP’ chants several times in the fourth quarter.
Advertisement
“I thought he’s had great ownership and responsibility to what it calls for to be a starting center for the Celtics, and he’s got to continue to get better,” Mazzulla said. “He works at it. He cares. So, it’s a credit to him.”
The Celtics, who entered the night averaging 17.1 second-chance points per game, poured in 30 Sunday, with Queta leading the charge. With 76ers center Andre Drummond often playing up and trying to congest the lanes for Boston’s talented ballhandlers, Queta forcefully and quickly found space around the rim.
“We just gave him the ball and trusted him to make the right decision every time, and he was able to get it going,” forward Jaylen Brown said. “He had some nice up-and-unders in the seam and stuff like that that helped propel us to a win.”
Brown added 27 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists for Boston.
Tyrese Maxey had 33 points to lead the 76ers, but they did not come easily. The All-Star guard played 43 minutes and made just 12 of 34 shots. Philadelphia was without star center Joel Embiid (oblique).
Advertisement
“He didn’t have a ton of layups, didn’t have a ton of free throws,” Mazzulla said of Maxey. “I thought he obviously missed some good shots, but when you have the ball as much as he did, I thought we did a really good job just being disciplined, defending without fouling, keeping him out of transition.”
The Celtics improved to 40-20, with just 22 games remaining in the regular season. After the game, there was a visible reminder of what could be on the way.
Star forward Jayson Tatum, who could be nearing a return from last May’s Achilles injury, sat at his locker and laughed and joked with team staffers. He also posted the latest clip from the NBC docuseries about his comeback on his social media accounts.
Jayson Tatum, who has yet to play this season, liked what he saw from the Celtics bench.Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff
For now, of course, the Celtics continue to plow forward without him. On Sunday, Boston quickly wiped away an early 10-point deficit behind Queta. He registered five offensive rebounds in the opening period, and flashed an unusual amount of offensive creativity during his dominant second quarter.
During one stretch, he danced through the lane for a basket, converted a putback, then dazzled the crowd by trailing a fast break, taking a pass from Brown, and converting an acrobatic scoop shot that gave Boston a 40-35 lead.
Advertisement
“We don’t want him to get too carried away with some of those,” Brown said, smiling. “But he was converting them tonight and it looked good.”
Queta reminded everyone that much of his value comes from his defensive work when he swatted a Kelly Oubre Jr. shot out of bounds, and he received a rare standing ovation when he checked out moments later.
Neemias Queta’s performance put a smile on Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla.Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff
Finally, after a well-executed two-for-one opportunity, Brown found Baylor Scheierman, who played with a splint on his broken left thumb, in the right corner; he hit a buzzer-beating 3-pointer that gave Boston a 62-50 lead at the break. Scheierman gave a high thumbs-up with his bandaged digit.
The Celtics led by 16 early in the third quarter, but the 76ers continued to push back. Three-pointers in the final minute by Quentin Grimes and Maxey made it 89-83 at the start of the fourth.
The 76ers trailed by 6 with four minutes left in the fourth quarter but missed their next five shots, any one of which could have put real pressure on Boston.
With 2:56 left, Queta converted a layup as he was fouled, stretching the lead back to 105-97. He received ‘MVP’ chants for the second time in the quarter when he went to the foul line. Then, with 1:56 left, he put an exclamation point on his memorable night by grabbing yet another offensive rebound and throwing down a two-handed dunk that made it 109-98.
Advertisement
“I thought Neemi matched and exceeded the [76ers] physicality,” Mazzulla said.
Jaylen Brown has become the leader of the Celtics while Tatum has been away. Will Tatum returning cause locker-room drama?
Adam Himmelsbach can be reached at adam.himmelsbach@globe.com. Follow him @adamhimmelsbach.
The Boston Celtics have built their teams in a number of ways over the decades, but few if any methods have born more fruit than through the NBA draft. The best players to suit up for the Celtics have, by and large, come to Boston either through being taken directly in the annual event, or via trades made that night.
And it is not just the top stars who have been picked up by the Celtics via the draft. Countless members of the storied ball club’s alumni have been taken by the team, and some schools are better represented than others. We can see blue blood programs and some very small schools both delivering top talent to Boston’s rosters over the years, so we decided to take a look at which players came from which schools overall.
Advertisement
So without further ado, let’s take a look at every player who has been drafted by the Celtics out of Boston State University.
Advertisement
Rod Forbes – forward
Oct 18, 2022; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; The number 6 is seen on the Boston Celtics jersey honoring Celtic great Bill Russell during the third quarter of the game between the Boston Celtics and the Philadelphia 76ers at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports
Draft year and position: 12th round (eighth pick, 163rd overall), 1969 NBA Draft
Seasons at Boston State University:
Seasons played with Celtics: Did not make the team
All stats and data courtesy of Basketball Reference.
Advertisement
Listen to “Havlicek Stole the Pod” on:
Blue Wire: https://tiny.ee/CdKp
iTunes: https://tiny.ee/RK47
YouTube: https://tiny.ee/cOW3
This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Every Boston State University player drafted by the Celtics
BOSTON (WHDH) – Boston police are investigating a shooting in the South End on Sunday night that left a victim hospitalized.
Officers responding to a reported shooting in the area of Washington and East Berkely streets around 7:45 p.m. found a victim suffering from a gunshot wound, police said.
The victim was taken to the hospital to be treated for their injuries.
No arrests have been made.
Advertisement
No additional information was immediately available.
This is a developing news story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest details.
(Copyright (c) 2025 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
Join our Newsletter for the latest news right to your inbox
The Boston Celtics have built their teams in a number of ways over the decades, but few if any methods have born more fruit than through the NBA draft. The best players to suit up for the Celtics have, by and large, come to Boston either through being taken directly in the annual event, or via trades made that night.
And it is not just the top stars who have been picked up by the Celtics via the draft. Countless members of the storied ball club’s alumni have been taken by the team, and some schools are better represented than others. We can see blue blood programs and some very small schools both delivering top talent to Boston’s rosters over the years, so we decided to take a look at which players came from which schools overall.
So without further ado, let’s take a look at every player who has been drafted by the Celtics out of Boston College.
Tony Daukas – forward
Draft year and position: 10th round (fifth pick, 85th overall), 1954 NBA Draft
Advertisement
Seasons at Boston College: 3
Seasons played with Celtics: Did not make the team
Chuck Chevalier – guard
Draft year and position: Eighth round (ninth pick, 71st overall), 1962 NBA Draft
Seasons at Boston College: 3
Seasons played with Celtics: Did not make the team
Advertisement
Jim Hooley – guard
Draft year and position: Sixth round (ninth pick, 54th overall), 1962 NBA Draft
Seasons at Boston College: 3
Seasons played with Celtics: Did not make the team
Johnny Austin – guard
Draft year and position: Fourth round (eighth pick, 38th overall), 1966 NBA Draft
Seasons at Boston College: 3
Advertisement
Seasons played with Celtics: Did not make the team
Billy Evans – guard
Draft year and position: 13th round (seventh pick, 175th overall), 1969 NBA Draft
Seasons at Boston College: 3
Seasons played with Celtics: Did not make the team
Bill Collins – forward
Draft year and position: Ninth round (16th pick, 156th overall), 1976 NBA Draft
Advertisement
Seasons at Boston College: 4
Seasons played with Celtics: Did not make the team
Troy Bell – guard
Draft year and position: First round (16th pick, 16th overall), 2003 NBA Draft
Seasons at Boston College: 4
Seasons played with Celtics: Did not make the team
Advertisement
All stats and data courtesy of Basketball Reference.
