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76ers, Embiid End Celtics’ Season

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Philadelphia’s oft-injured center Joel Embiid had 34 points, 12 rebounds and six assists and Sixers’ all-star Tyrese Maxey added 30 points and 11 rebounds to lead the 76ers to a 109-100 victory over the host Boston Celtics in Game 7 of their Eastern Conference first-round playoff series Saturday night. The 76ers won the  final three games in the series. It was the first time in franchise history that Philadelphia has overcome a 3-1 series deficit and only the 14th time in league history for any team.

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“We handled playing (in a hostile environment) just enough, but I think it was really good for us to experience it,” 76ers coach Nick Nurse said.

Philadelphia, seeded seventh, visits the third-seeded New York Knicks on Monday in Game 1 of their second-round series.

“What changed in the series is Joel Embiid came back, and they’re a completely different team,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said.

Embiid took the court for the last three games after not playing since April 6, as he required an emergency appendectomy during a team trip through Texas.

Second-seeded Boston trailed 99-98 following two Neemias Queta free throws, but Maxey scored the next eight points to put Philadelphia up 107-98 with 15 seconds left.

Philadelphia received 23 points from rookie VJ Edgecombe. Paul George added 13. The 76ers’ bench totaled three points (all by Quentin Grimes).

Boston’s Jayson Tatum was ruled out of the  game because of stiffness in his left knee. He left Game 6 with 4:03 remaining in the third quarter with a left leg injury.

Tatum averaged 23.3 points and 10.7 rebounds per contest in six playoff games this season. The six-time All-Star forward averaged 21.8 points and 10.0 boards in 16 regular-season games after returning March 6 from a devastating ruptured right Achilles tendon last May in the playoffs.

Jaylen Brown led Boston with 33 points and added nine rebounds. Derrick White finished with 26 points and Queta had 17 points and a team-high 12 rebounds off the bench. Celtics starters Baylor Scheierman, Luka Garza and Ron Harper Jr. failed to score. Reserves Payton Pritchard added 13 points and Sam Hauser 11.

The Celtics shot 26.5% (13 of 49) from 3-point range and 39.8% (37 of 93) from the field.

“We’re always going to play to the strength of our team,” Mazzulla said.

The Sixers made 11 of 28 (39.3%) from long range and 47.6% (39 of 82) from the field.

“In the last two games and portions of this one, we guarded the ball very well,” Nurse said. “We weren’t giving them great looks. That probably for the whole series was the big key.”

Philadelphia scored the game’s first nine points and led 30-15 following an Embiid jumper with 1:55 left in the opening quarter. The 76ers were up 32-19 after 12 minutes.

Boston scored 18 of the first 22 points in the second quarter and had its first (and what turned out to be only) lead, 37-36, after a Pritchard 3-pointer with 6:52 left in the first half. Philadelphia rallied to take a 55-50 halftime advantage.

An 8-0 run gave Philadelphia a 63-52 lead, and the 76ers were up 84-66 after an Edgecombe 3-pointer with 2:24 remaining in the third. It was 88-75 after three quarters.

Boston began the fourth quarter with a 16-4 run to cut its deficit to one point, 92-91, with 7:59 to play. The 76ers led 95-94 with 5:52 left.

“(The Celtics) just played in transition for about 12 straight minutes, and then we finally got them stopped to get in their sets,” Nurse said. “Defensively, that was the difference for us in the last three minutes. We had them in halfcourt until maybe the final 90 seconds when they were just coming up and firing.”

Mazzulla said: “Loved the looks that we got, loved the process that we had, but hate the result.”

–Field Level Media

 

Two Words: “Game Seven”

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The Boston Celtics will try to avoid a series collapse Saturday night when they face the visiting Philadelphia 76ers in Game 7 of their Eastern Conference first-round playoff series. Second-seeded Boston held a 3-1 lead in the series, but lost Game 5 at home and then dropped Game 6, 106-93, in Philadelphia on Thursday night. If the seventh-seeded 76ers can find a way to win Game 7 on the road, Boston would become the 14th team in NBA history to lose a series after holding a 3-1 advantage.

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“I’ve been playing these guys for so long,” said Philadelphia center Joel Embiid. “I’m tired of losing to them. So we have a chance to accomplish something special. They’re a great team. You look at everything they have. That’s a super team. We just gotta go in with the mindset that we’ve had for the last two games. One play at a time. Tough environment, but we’ve been there. We won two games over there.”

Boston was 12 of 41 from 3-point territory in Thursday’s loss, after being held to 11-of-39 shooting from behind the 3-point arc in its 113-97 setback in Game 5.

“Very good game by us,” Philadelphia coach Nick Nurse said following Thursday’s victory. “I think we played really well. Probably most impressed with our defensive effort, and shot creation was good. I don’t think the shot-making was great, but the shot creation was very good.”

Boston received a scare Thursday when Jayson Tatum exited the court with 4:03 remaining in the third quarter and did not return. Tatum said he felt tightness in his left leg, but is slated to play Saturday.

“Y’all probably saw when I went to the back,” Tatum said. “So I was on the bike. My leg was just a little stiff when I came out in the third quarter. But just kind of assessing the moment, like the game was a little out of reach. We took the starters out.

“Our intentions aren’t good,” Tatum continued. “We want to go out there and play the right way and win. It’s just we just got to be a little bit more together, a little bit tougher, play with more pace, play faster. How they have played majority of the season. Then since I’ve been back (from an Achilles injury), just kind of getting back to who we are.”

Two of Boston’s three wins in the series came by more than 30 points. The Celtics won Game 1 123-91, then prevailed 128-96 in Game 4.

“We definitely made some adjustments,” Mazzulla said after Game 6. “Some of them worked, some of them didn’t. Like I said, I thought tonight the Sixers played well, and we didn’t.”

Tyrese Maxey led all scorers with 30 points in Game 6. Jaylen Brown led Boston with 18 points.

“Sometimes it’s not about the Xs and Os, it’s about the Jims and the Joes,” Maxey said. “Who you have on your team, our Jims and Joes got to be better than theirs. It’s going to be a dogfight. It’s going to be extremely difficult. Every single second will be a roller coaster ride. Us as a group, we have to stay connected. Stay with one goal in mind – that’s you’re trying to win the game.”

–Field Level Media

Sixers Force Game Seven

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PHILADELPHIA – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Philly’s All-Star Tyrese Maxey scored 30 points Thursday as the surging Philadelphia 76ers posted a 106-93 win over the visiting Boston Celtics, forcing a decisive Game 7 in their first-round Eastern Conference playoff series.

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The second-seeded Celtics led the series 3-1 following a 32-point win in Philadelphia on Sunday, but the seventh-seeded Sixers rebounded to post double-digit wins in Games 5 and 6.

The teams will reconvene Saturday for Game 7 in Boston, where the Sixers will aim to complete a 3-1 series comeback for the first time in franchise history.

Paul George added 23 points for Philadelphia, while Joel Embiid had 19 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists in his third game since returning from an emergency appendectomy. VJ Edgecombe and Kelly Oubre Jr. chipped in with 14 points apiece for the Sixers.

“I just thought we played free,” George said. “It’s really no pressure. We come out — we lose, we go home.”

“It’s (still) win-or-go-home. I like our chances,” George said about Game 7. “I know it ain’t going to be easy, but we’ve been playing well lately.”

Jaylen Brown led Boston with 18 points but also committed five of his team’s 13 turnovers. Jayson Tatum contributed 17 points and 11 rebounds for the Celtics, who shot poorly from the field (41.9%), the 3-point arc (12 of 41, 29.3%) and the foul line (9 of 16, 56.2%).

Philadelphia shot just 8 of 24 (33.3%) from the field in the first quarter and trailed 23-20 after 12 minutes.

The second quarter was a different story for the Sixers, who outscored the Celtics 38-26 in the period. Maxey led the way with 13 points in the session.

Philadelphia’s lead was 38-36 midway through the second quarter before Edgecombe’s jumper ignited an 18-8 run that put the hosts ahead by a dozen late in the period. Boston briefly got its deficit down to seven before Maxey dropped in a floater just before halftime.

About three minutes into the third quarter, Brown knocked down a 3-pointer to bring Boston within 65-54. However, Philadelphia countered with a flashy sequence in which Embiid’s behind-the-back pass set up an Oubre dunk and then George’s behind-the-back pass unleashed an Edgecombe slam to bring the crowd to its feet.

The Sixers went on to lead by as many as 21 points late in the third quarter before the Celtics inched within 82-63 heading into the fourth.

Philadelphia was up 88-65 with 10:24 remaining, but Boston then scored 11 straight points, capped by Luka Garza’s dunk with 7:10 to play.

However, it didn’t take the Sixers long to regain control. Edgecombe swished a 3-pointer to make it 98-78 and the home team cruised from there.

“It’s part of the playoffs. We have an opportunity for Game 7 at home,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said. “We didn’t play well tonight. We’ve got to move on to the next game.”

–Field Level Media

Sixers stun Celtics; Force Game 6

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BOSTON – (Wire Service Report) – Joel Embiid tossed in 33 points and added eight assists as the visiting Philadelphia 76ers avoided elimination by beating the Boston Celtics 113-97 Tuesday in Game 5 of their Eastern Conference first-round playoff series. Embiid, who missed the first three games of the series following an appendectomy, went to the locker room with an apparent knee injury with 4:35 to play in the third quarter, but returned to the game with 2:00 left in the third.

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Tyrese Maxey added 25 points and 10 rebounds for the seventh-seeded 76ers, who entered the fourth quarter down one but outscored the Celtics 28-11 over the final 12 minutes. Paul George finished the game with 16 points, nine rebounds and seven assists.

Second-seeded Boston received 24 points and 16 rebounds from Jayson Tatum, and 22 points from Jaylen Brown. Neemias Queta had eight points and 14 rebounds. The Celtics shot 36 of 89 from the field.

Boston went in front for the first time on a Brown layup that made it 16-15 with 2:59 left in the first. The Celtics led 23-21 entering the second.

Boston extended its advantage to 42-31 on a Tatum 3-pointer, but the 76ers moved to within two points, 50-48, following a Maxey 3-pointer with 2:10 remaining in the half. Boston scored the next seven points and had a 57-50 halftime lead.

The Celtics stretched their lead to 13 points, 63-50, less than two minutes into the third, but a VJ Edgecombe 3-pointer pulled Philadelphia within one point, 66-65, with 6:37 to play in the quarter. Boston was up 86-85 at the end of three.

Philadelphia took an 88-86 lead on a George 3-pointer early in the fourth, and had its largest lead of the game after Edgecombe knocked down a 3-pointer that made it 109-94 with 2:25 to play.

Game 6 will be Thursday night in Philadelphia.

–Field Level Media

Celtics Can Close Out the Sixers

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BOSTON – (Wire Service Report) – The Boston Celtics can close out the Eastern Conference first-round playoff series with the visiting Philadelphia 76ers in Game 5 on Tuesday night. After splitting two games in Boston, the second-seeded Celtics took a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series by beating the seventh-seeded 76ers twice in Philadelphia.

“Played another about-as-bad-as-you-can-play game,” Philadelphia coach Nick Nurse said following Boston’s 128-96 victory in Game 4. “That’s two out of four in this series. Played well in the other two and we got to get back to playing well quickly. Got to go get one.”

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Philadelphia can point to defending the perimeter as one of the must-fix items on the 76ers’ list in order to stave off elimination. The Celtics made 24 3-pointers during Game 4, shooting 48.3% overall and 45.3% from 3-point range.

Payton Pritchard, Boston’s backup point guard, made 6 of 12 3-pointers and tossed in 32 points in the Game 4 victory. Pritchard was 2-of-13 from 3-point territory in the first two games of the series and then made 5 of 10 3-pointers in Boston’s Game 3 win.

“I don’t know if I saw anything different,” Pritchard said. “It’s just more playing with that aggression, playing with that spark. I felt it in Game 3. I was telling some of the coaches I thought it was a step in the right direction as far as my aggression and getting my rhythm back.”

Boston’s 24 3-point field goals set a franchise record for made 3-pointers in a playoff game. Jayson Tatum made five shots from beyond the 3-point arc.

“It was very bad,” Nurse said when asked about his team’s defensive effort in Game 4. “It just didn’t seem like any matchup could guard anybody one-on-one. We had them pushed out and bottled up and physical and really off kind of rhythm for a couple games, and there was none of that ”

Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid returned to the court after missing the first three games in the series following an emergency appendectomy on April 9. He finished with a team-high 26 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists, but didn’t get a lot of offensive support.

Tyrese Maxey scored 22 points, but attempted only three shots in the first half. VJ Edgecombe was 2-of-9 from the field and had six points.

“That can’t happen,” Maxey said. “That’s on me. That absolutely can’t happen. That’s unacceptable by me. I was playing within the flow of the game and it kind of just happened that way.

” … We can’t win basketball games with that happening and I take full responsibility on that one.”

Boston coach Joe Mazzulla said the Celtics have to be prepared for Philadelphia’s best effort in Game 5.

“Regardless of who we’re playing against, we have to have an understanding that they are a really good team,” he said. “They can beat you on any given night. They’ve got great talent with the three stars that they have (Embiid, Maxey, and Paul George) and their role players when they are at their best … We’ve got to be disciplined on all the things that we can control – physical, mental, emotional, psychological, tactical, all of them.”

The winner of the Celtics/76ers series will meet either third-seeded New York or sixth-seeded Atlanta in the next round. That series is 2-2 headed back to New York for Game 5 Tuesday.

“We’ve got three chances to win one game,” Jaylen Brown said. “And the goal is just to get it done as soon as possible.”

–Field Level Media

 

NBA: Welcome to the Playoffs

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PHILADELPHIA – (Wire Service Report) – Welcome to the playoffs.

After the Boston Celtics dropped Game 2 against the Philadelphia 76ers, those four succinct words from Jaylen Brown summarized the situation at hand for the division rivals. The Celtics look to recover from a surprising defeat to the Sixers when the teams reconvene Friday in Philadelphia for Game 3 of their first-round playoff series.

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“It’s the playoffs. Welcome to the playoffs,” Brown said following a 111-97 home setback in Game 2. “They out-competed us. I’ve played in series that have gone similar. You can’t take anything for granted. You just got to be ready to go. I trust our group.”

Boston, the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference, captured Game 1 by a 123-91 margin. Many expected the Celtics to cruise again in Game 2, but the seventh-seeded 76ers rode their talented backcourt to a convincing triumph.

Rookie guard VJ Edgecombe led the way with 30 points and 10 rebounds. The 20-year-old became the youngest player in NBA history to post 30 and 10 in a postseason contest.

“He’s a tough kid,” 76ers center Andre Drummond said. “His confidence is something I haven’t seen in a very long time. He plays with a swag that a lot of guys don’t play with when they’re coming up. I’m happy that he’s here. He’s playing at a very high level and we need more from him next game, too. So he has to stay prepared.”

Tyrese Maxey was another key to the Sixers’ success in Game 2. The All-Star guard registered 29 points and nine assists and drained three clutch 3-pointers down the stretch.

“He just wanted them,” coach Nick Nurse said of Maxey’s late-game heroics. “I think you probably all could see that. He looked at me for a play call, and I looked at him and called, and he’s like, ‘I got it.’”

The Sixers continued to play without Joel Embiid (appendicitis) and were outrebounded 50-42 by the Celtics. Edgecombe (10) and Drummond (eight) were the only Philadelphia players with more than five rebounds on the night, and nobody had more than one block.

Adem Bona got the start at center and went scoreless with three rebounds in a 22-minute run.

“We’re obviously really hopeful (that Embiid can return soon), and I think he’s really hopeful,” Nurse said. “He wants to play, and we want him to play. I don’t know how close we are to that at this point, but I think there’s some progress being made.”

Brown led Boston with 36 points in Game 2, while Jayson Tatum chipped in with 19 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists. Derrick White had eight points but shot just 3 of 12 from the field, while two of the team’s sharpshooters – Payton Pritchard and Sam Hauser – combined to shoot 4 of 16 from the floor and 2 of 12 from beyond the arc.

“I thought Sam and Payton both got good looks,” Brown said. “Both got some open shots. That’s what we want. Continue to trust that process.”

Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla didn’t seem too concerned about his team’s offensive process, even after the Celtics shot 39.3% from the field and 26% from 3-point land.

“You focus on the stuff that you can be better at, that’s within your control,” Mazzulla said. “I know it’s tough, but you can’t necessarily control when you shoot it, if it goes in or not.”

–Field Level Media

76ers Even Series vs Celtics

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BOSTON – Philadelphia’s rookie guard VJ Edgecombe and All-Star Tyrese Maxey combined to make 11 3-pointers and score 59 total points as the 76ers bounced back to even their Eastern Conference playoff series with the host Boston Celtics in a 111-97 decision on Tuesday.

Seventh-seeded Philadelphia (1-1) shook off a dismal Game 1 performance, which included making just four 3-pointers in Sunday’s 123-91 loss, with a complete reversal on the offensive end.

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The Sixers shot a torrid 19-of-39 from beyond the arc in Game 2, with Quentin Grimes, Kelly Oubre Jr. and Paul George each adding a pair of made triples to supplement Edgecombe and Maxey.

Edgecombe and Maxey were the catalysts, however. The rookie Edgecombe finished 12-of-20 from the floor, including his 6-of-10 from beyond the arc, and grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds.

“This is who we are. Game 1 isn’t who we are,” Edgecombe said in his postgame interview with Peacock. “We let our offense dictate our defense (on Sunday), and we didn’t do that tonight.”

Philadelphia’s flipping of the script on the offensive end on Tuesday did indeed carry over defensively. The Sixers limited the Celtics (1-1) to 35-of-89 shooting from the floor, locking down each scoring option beyond the primary two of Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum.

Brown went for a game-high 36 points, and Tatum finished with 19 points to go with his game-high 14 rebounds. No other Celtic reached double-figures scoring, however, a stark contrast from Game 1 when the entire Boston starting five notched at least 10 points.

And while Brown shot 5-of-12 from long distance, Boston’s other shooters combined to go just 8-for-38.

Philadelphia, meanwhile, got 19 points from George and 12 from Oubre. After foul trouble limited him in Game 1, Andre Drummond came off the bench to provide the Sixers quality minutes on the interior with 10 points and eight rebounds.

–Field Level Media

 

NBA Playoff Preview

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BOSTON – (Wire Service Preview) – The Boston Celtics will strive to build on a dominant playoff-opening rout of Philadelphia when they host the 76ers for Game 2 tonight. The Celtics, the Eastern Conference’s second seed, pounced on Philadelphia in Sunday’s Game 1 matchup behind the star tandem of Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum.

Brown scored 26 points on 11-of-21 shooting from the floor, while Tatum — playing in just his 17th overall  game since returning last month from a ruptured Achilles’ tendon — finished with 25 points on 9-of-17 shooting, grabbed 11 rebounds and dished seven assists.

“Just the opportunity to play again here (in Boston) in the playoffs is special,” Tatum said. “It’s something I’ll never take for granted.”

Tatum and his Celtics capitalized on their first opportunity in front of the Boston faithful immediately, building an 18-point lead by halftime.

The Celtics held the Sixers to just 35-of-90 field-goal shooting (38.9%) and a woeful 4-of-23 from 3-point distance (17.4%), showing off the same defensive prowess they exhibited in the regular season.

Boston went into the playoffs allowing a league-low 107.2 points per game while holding opponents to 44.2% shooting from the floor, second-lowest in the NBA.

Celtics Iron-Out Rotation

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BOSTON – Although this is the final week of the NBA regular season, the Boston Celtics still have at least one significant thing to iron out entering Tuesday’s game against the visiting Charlotte Hornets: making sure Nikola Vucevic fits comfortably into the rotation before the playoffs begin.

Vucevic returned to the court for Sunday’s 115-101 victory over Toronto after missing four weeks with a broken finger. The injury occurred in a March 6 game against Dallas, the same night Jayson Tatum returned from his Achilles injury.

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Vucevic collected four points and four rebounds in 13 minutes against Toronto, but he also picked up four fouls.

“He was good,” Boston coach Joe Mazzulla said. “I mean, it was only 13 minutes. I thought offensively he made the right reads, missed a couple. Second half, we kind of went to — it was almost, we were looking at some different matchup stuff, so we didn’t get him in as much as we wanted to in the second half. But he was fine, I thought. He’s just going to continue to get acclimated.”

Vucevic said regaining chemistry is the hardest part about returning after missing significant time with an injury.

“That just has to come from us playing and practicing together, which is good I get at least these five games in before the playoffs then we’ll have that week between that will help,” he said. “But I think as far as plays, coverages, kind of knowing what to do out there in different situations, that was pretty good for me. I did a lot of it throughout my rehab. A lot of my workouts were fully left-handed, but I was still learning plays like that.

“Just continue to play alongside all of the guys,” he continued. “Obviously me and JT didn’t get a lot of time together, but I think we’re both high-level players, both smart players, and I think we’ll be able to figure it out pretty quick. Just even being around the guys, the time I did play, I think it’s helped a lot. Obviously, it would have been great to have that full month that I missed, but it is what it is. We know we’ll try to make the best out of it in the next couple games. And then also I think that week leading up to the playoffs is going to help. We’ll probably have a couple practices which will help as well.”

The Celtics (53-25) will be looking to extend their winning streak to four games.

Charlotte (43-36) has won four in a row since it dropped a 114-99 decision to Boston at home on March 29. The Hornets are 9-2 in their last 11 games, and are trying to avoid the play-in tournament by finishing sixth or higher in the Eastern Conference.

Charlotte will participate in the postseason for the first time since 2015-16, when the Hornets lost to Miami in the first round.

The Hornets beat the Celtics 118-89 when the teams met in Boston on March 4. Charlotte’s Miles Bridges said dealing with Boston’s physicality will be paramount Tuesday night.

“We came into their place and beat them,” he said. “Then they came into our place and beat us, so we want to return the favor and start getting ready for the playoffs.”

–Field Level Media

Celtics Looking for Big Start vs Raptors

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Preview) – Strong starts have propelled the Boston Celtics to victory in each of their last two games, and they will look to continue that trend against the visiting Toronto Raptors on Sunday afternoon.

The Celtics (52-25) made 11 shots from 3-point range and set a franchise record by scoring 53 points in the first quarter of their 147-129 win at Miami on Wednesday. The 53-point quarter is tied for the second-highest scoring first quarter in NBA regular-season history, trailing only Golden State’s 55-point quarter in 2023.

Boston followed that effort by scoring 43 points during the first 12 minutes of Friday’s 133-101 win at Milwaukee. The 96 combined points set an NBA record for points scored in consecutive opening quarters.

Center Neemias Queta set the tone for Boston on Friday by collecting 13 points, five rebounds and three blocked shots in the first quarter, when the Celtics built a 21-point lead. Queta finished the game with 19 points on 8-of-11 shooting and 10 rebounds with four blocks.

“It’s unbelievable,” the Celtics’ Jayson Tatum said when asked about Queta’s improved play this season. “I couldn’t be more proud and happier for Neemy. The way he’s seeing the game (and) the leap he’s made as a screener, as a passer.

“Somebody we can trust when we throw the ball in the seams, finishing, protecting the rim. He is an NBA starting big man, that’s who he is now, and he’s only gonna continue to get better.”

Boston had six players score in double figures against the Bucks, which was the team’s 10th victory by at least 25 points this season. Queta has scored in double digits in four of his last five games.

“Neemy did a great job in his screen reads, and then I thought our guys did a good job finding him, and then he finished or he kicked out for open shots,” Boston coach Joe Mazzulla said via NBC Sports Boston. “So, he started that, got Sam (Hauser) some open looks, Jayson and Jaylen (Brown) were distributing, and we got a lot of catch-and-shoot shots.”

Toronto rookie Collin Murray-Boyles has been contributing more at the offensive end of the court of late. Murray-Boyles is averaging 8.4 points per game this season, but scored 14 against the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday, a career-high 20 points against the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday and tossed in 19 points when the Raptors (43-34) ended a two-game losing streak by beating the Memphis Grizzlies 128-96 on Friday.

“Just working on my game,” Murray-Boyles said. “I feel like that’s what’s translating into me putting up numbers and stuff like that. Me being effective. … Obviously I like to be involved in the offense.”

Boston is second in the Eastern Conference standings and will enter Sunday’s game with a 2 1/2-game lead over the third-place New York Knicks. After Sunday, the Celtics and Knicks will each have four regular season games to play.

Friday’s victory over Memphis moved Toronto into a tie for sixth place with the Philadelphia 76ers in the Eastern Conference but the Raptors were officially seventh via a tiebreaker. The top six teams will avoid the play-in tournament.

“We have somewhere we’re trying to get to,” Murray-Boyles said following Friday’s win. “Trying to get in the playoffs and make a good run, and this is the start of it.”

–Field Level Media