Sixers hang around in Boston, lose 114-98 as the same issues keep showing up

The Sixers went into Boston on Sunday night and had a real chance to win the season series against the Eastern Conference’s second seed. They came away with a 114-98 loss instead and a reminder that there are still some real structural problems with this team that are going to matter come playoff time.

Tyrese Maxey had 33 points and six assists and VJ Edgecombe added 23 points and five rebounds. Without Joel Embiid, who is out with the right oblique strain and will also miss Tuesday’s game against the Spurs and Wednesday’s against the Jazz, those two were carrying everything.

The issue was everyone around them.

needed it 😤 pic.twitter.com/wzR60czhKk

— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) March 2, 2026

Neemias Queta had 27 points and 17 rebounds for Boston.

Let that sink in. Queta, who came into the night with a career high well below that number, absolutely feasted in the post and on the offensive glass against a Sixers front court that has no Embiid to anchor it. Jaylen Brown added 27 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists. The Celtics won that game up front and it was not particularly close.

The defensive rebounding issue is the thing that keeps showing up and it is not a one-game problem. The Sixers entered Sunday ranked 28th in defensive rebounding rate according to Cleaning the Glass and eighth in offensive rebounding rate.

Nick Nurse likes to be aggressive chasing turnovers and does not discourage crashing the offensive glass, which explains the split but does not make the defensive number any less alarming. Half of Boston’s 26 first-quarter points came off second-chance opportunities. That is not sustainable against good teams in the postseason.

Maxey was aggressive all night, maybe too aggressive at points. He attempted 34 field goals and missed 22 of them, finishing 12 for 34 from the floor. On nights where he is the only star available, the Sixers need him to shoot volume and they lean into that. Sometimes it works. Sunday it did not.

He found some touch in the third quarter and helped cut the deficit to six with 2.2 seconds left in the period, and for a moment it felt like the Sixers might have something brewing.

Then the fourth quarter arrived and the magic from their Boston opening-night comeback was nowhere to be found. They missed late jumpers, the Celtics kept grabbing offensive boards, and that was that.

Edgecombe continues to be fascinating. Over two road games in Boston this season he put up 57 points, 12 rebounds, and six assists. The kid is 19 years old and is not intimidated by the moment or the opponent.

knock ‘em down, rook pic.twitter.com/XaITGOF0A1

— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) March 2, 2026

Dominick Barlow also had another solid night with 14 points, eight rebounds, and three steals. The young guys are giving the Sixers something to feel good about even on bad nights.

The Sixers are 33-27 now with Embiid missing time again and the defensive rebounding number sitting at 28th in the league. Those are not the conditions you want heading into the final stretch of the regular season with playoff seeding on the line.

Joel Embiid adds an oblique strain to a career-long list of injuries

Getting Embiid back healthy is the obvious answer to most of these problems, and when he is right this team looks different. The question is always the same with him. When is right and when is he actually right.

For now the Sixers split the season series with Boston and head into a back-to-back against the Spurs and Jazz shorthanded.

Not ideal but manageable. The bigger tests are coming.

Join The Chase