Neemias Queta's monster effort helps pave way for Celtics win over 76ers

neemias queta delivered the best game of his career Sunday, finishing with 27 points and 17 rebounds to help Boston overcome a 10-point deficit and beat the 76ers 114-98 at TD Garden. The performance matters because it came as the Celtics, who sit second in the Eastern Conference, try to sustain a late-season surge without a sidelined star.

Neemias Queta’s breakout night at TD Garden

Queta, 26, turned an early 10-point hole into a rout by registering five offensive rebounds in the opening period and producing a dominant second quarter that shifted the tone. He danced through the lane for a basket, converted a putback, and later trailed a fast break, took a pass from Jaylen Brown and finished an acrobatic scoop that gave Boston a 40-35 lead. The crowd chanted "MVP" several times in the fourth quarter as Queta capped what the game described as the best of his career.

Joe Mazzulla had prepared Queta for a starting role

Last summer, after the Celtics' frontcourt underwent an overhaul following the departures of Al Horford, Kristaps Porzingis, and Luke Kornet, coach Joe Mazzulla called the then-backup big man and told him he would become the team's starting center. Mazzulla said he relayed the message then to give Queta time to process the promotion mentally and to start preparing physically.

Queta carried lessons from playing for Portugal at EuroBasket

When Queta went on to play for Portugal at EuroBasket, his growing responsibilities with the Celtics were on his mind. "It was like a big summer for me in terms of fine-tuning a bunch of different stuff, " Queta said. "Like, we worked on all types of aspects. " Mazzulla praised Queta's ownership of the role, saying, "He works at it. He cares. So, it's a credit to him. "

Jaylen Brown's support and on-court chemistry

Forward Jaylen Brown was integral to Queta's night, both as a passer and scorer. Brown said, "We just gave him the ball and trusted him to make the right decision every time, and he was able to get it going, " and added that Queta's up-and-unders helped propel the win. Brown finished with 27 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists. Brown also began a sentence with, "We don't want him to get too carried away with some of those, " and the rest is unclear in the provided context.