Gina Mizell

Short-handed Sixers frontcourt’s next challenge: Figuring out how to guard Victor Wembanyama Without the injured Joel Embiid, the Sixers gave up a career game to Celtics center Neemias Queta. It doesn't get any easier on Tuesday with the Spurs coming to town.

The Joel Embiid-less Sixers allowed Neemias Queta (!) to drop 27 points and 17 rebounds. They got outrebounded (59-37) and surrendered 30 second-chance points.

Not great with Wemby in Philly tomorrow.

“It just felt like, everything we did, it just didn't work."

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FINAL: Celtics 114, Sixers 98. Sixers honestly hung in for way longer than they theoretically should have, but way too much Queta (27 points, 17 rebounds). Maxey with 33 points on 12-of-34 shooting.

Up next, a center most would say is a little better: Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs on Tuesday.

Waaaaay too early. It was actually the Queta Game.

Queta with a career-high 21 points to go with 14 rebounds...and is getting MVP chants. What a world.

Hello, VJ. He dives into the crowd to try to save a loose ball -- and serendipitously lands in the lap of a Sixers fan. Sixers STILL somehow in this, down 103-97 with 3:33 to play.

Celtics have 16 offensive rebounds so far (33% of their missed shots) in a game where they are shooting 43%. Big part of why they have a nine-point lead.

Celtics 89, Sixers 83. Maxey had a horrible shooting start but caught some rhythm in the third, including a big three to cut Boston's advantage to six. Edgecombe with 17 points.

VJ seems to play well in Boston. That's a great trait to have

VJ Edgecombe almost single-handedly keeping the Sixers within striking distance with his shot-making and a nifty pass to Maxey for the transition finish. Celtics lead 80-72 with 4:26 left in the third.

Sixers had been chipping away, but two missed scoring opportunities by Edgecombe and Maxey -- and a driving dunk by Queta -- puts the Celtics back up 72-60 at the 7:37 mark.

Halftime: Celtics 62, Sixers 50 after Scheiderman hits a three at the buzzer. Sixers were up 10 early but Boston completely controlled this one the rest of the way. Sixers shooting 39.1 percent from the floor, including 4-of-18 from Maxey. Celtics have a 30-18 rebounding advantage.

Maxey was 3-of-17 from the floor before that falling make. Perhaps that will get him going in the second half.

And another...and then a tech. Yowza.

And there's three fouls on Bona. Drummond is back in. The only silver lining? Queta just checked out, to a standing ovation.

Bona is back in the game, with two fouls at the 7:20 mark.

Meanwhile, Queta already has 16 and 10 on the other end. Yeeeeeeesh.

Andre Drummond corner three?!

Sixers are going to start the second with Payne-Edgecombe-Grimes-Watford-Drummond. OK then!

Sixers 28, Celtics 26 at the end of the first. Really fun game so far. Sixers led by as many as 10 before the Celtics chipped away at the end of the period. Maxey with 8 points but on 3-of-11 shooting. Boma wth a great bench lift (5 points, 3 rebounds) before picking up two fouls.

Welp, that's two fouls on Bona, bringing Drummond back into the game.

Too early to be on The Adem Bona Game watch?

And then stayed down on a pump fake, as beat colleague Tony Jones just astutely said out loud.

Another high-energy start for Bona, who grabs a rebound and saves it from going out of bounds and then gets a putback. Two boards in one minute.

Asked Andre Drummond at shootaround about going up against Vucevic, his old Bulls teammate. Mentioned there are few centers he knows better, both as a teammate and opponent.

Sixers up 14-12 at the first timeout. Really fun pace to this one so far.

Dom Barlow's got the Jaylen Brown assignment to start this game.

Inside Sixers: VJ Edgecombe’s new mentor, Tyrese Maxey’s ‘tanking’ perspective, and more from All-Star Weekend All-Star Weekend had plenty of Philly basketball flavor, from Jalen Brunson's family affair to Jalen Duren's debut.

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Vince Carter (and T-Mac) have been putting up shots since I came out to the court. He’s chopping it up with Kyle Lowry, his close friend. It’s why Vince took an early interest in VJ Edgecombe at All-Star Weekend, which helped ignite his Rising Stars performance.

Real talk: The reason you don’t see a lot of video from me is because I find people are more comfortable/forthcoming and give better answers when when phones/cameras are not in their face (and I’m more engaged when I don’t need to worry about making sure their face is framed properly, etc.)

Howdy from Sixers shootaround, where I just asked Andre Drummond about Joel Embiid sustaining another injury (oblique strain this time)

“I want to wrap him in a bubble sheet and give him a hug, man. I just feel like he can’t get a break.”