BOSTON — The Philadelphia 76ers were able to start the season with an impressive 117-116 win over the Boston Celtics on the road on Wednesday night. They rallied from a 13-point deficit to get the job done and get off on the right foot following a miserable 2024-25 season.

They received a historic outing from rookie VJ Edgecombe as he had 34 points in his NBA debut. They received 40 points from Tyrese Maxey. They received big contributions from Kelly Oubre Jr., Dominick Barlow, Quentin Grimes, and Jabari Walker.

The Sixers even saw the return of star big man Joel Embiid who played in his first game sine Feb. 22. It has been a long road for the big fella, and if his performance against the Celtics is any indication, he still has work to do.

Still on a minutes restriction of about 20 minutes, Embiid was held to just four points on 1-for-9 shooting and he did not look like his usual self. However, coach Nick Nurse found some positives.

“Well, I’m super happy he was out there,” Nurse said after the win. “I think that he played good. I know that’s gonna sound silly. 1-for-9. He just didn’t shoot it very good. I thought he transferred the ball good. I thought he made some good decisions. I thought he took good shots. I thought he protected the rim. So, again, that’s, like, he hasn’t done much, right? He played a scrimmage and a preseason game. I think there’s some rust there, but I thought he was moving good and made good decisions which is really positive.”

To Nurse’s point, Embiid didn’t turn the ball over. He only had two assists, but he sort of served as a decoy out there for the offense to find a groove. The Celtics had to pay so much attention to the big fella because of what he can do and it allowed others to thrive.

Obviously, he can’t continue to struggle as he did in this one, but the Sixers know he isn’t going to do that every night. Embiid has fought and battled through a lot of adversity to be out there on the floor for Philadelphia and his teammates know they can count on him on a regular basis.

“Having Joel on the court is extremely important for us,” added Maxey. “We appreciate him. He’s done a lot for this organization and a lot for his family and everything. So shoutout to him, man. He got out there and played well tonight and he’ll only play better. We know that.”

The Sixers will take on the Charlotte Hornets in the home opener on Saturday.