How Neemias Queta Exposed Sixers' Frontcourt Issues in Loss to Celtics

The Philadelphia 76ers had $108 million of their payroll sitting on the bench in its game against the Boston Celtics on Sunday night. Yet, Philadelphia trailed by just six with three minutes left in the fourth quarter.

VJ Edgecombe made hustle plays while Tyrese Maxey paced the offense. Victory seemed possible. That's when Neemias Queta brought the Sixers back to Earth. He overpowered Andre Drummond for an and-one, commandeering an 11-1 run that sealed Philadelphia's fate.

Queta erupted for a career-high 27 points alongside 17 rebounds in the Sixers’ (33-27) 114-98 loss to the Celtics (40-20). He dominated Philadelphia on the glass and at the rim. His success highlighted the struggles that the Sixers’ center rotation faces in games without Joel Embiid.

The Celtics outrebounded the Sixers by 22, but the problem had more to do with the matchup than it did with poor effort. Queta was too quick for Drummond and too imposing for Adem Bona. This allowed the center to adequately position himself during boxouts and give Boston extra opportunities. But, with such a large margin, Philadelphia was prone to instances of low energy off the glass as well.

Queta secured 10 of the Celtics’ 19 offensive rebounds as Boston tallied 30 second-chance points. Nick Nurse didn't want to experiment with bigger lineups in the fourth quarter, either. Jabari Walker, who averages three rebounds per game in 11.9 minutes did not play.

The Sixers were at a spacing disadvantage without Embiid (strained oblique) and Paul George (suspension). That likely contributed to Nurse closing with Quentin Grimes over Dominick Barlow in the final 12 minutes. It did not have any meaningful impact.

Boston corralled 16 rebounds, five of which came from the offensive glass, in the fourth quarter. Queta had two put-back buckets to refresh a double-digit lead, effectively putting the game away. He obliterated Drummond in every which way, making Nurse’s decision to play Bona just four minutes in the period puzzling.

Bona offered better production as an explosive help-side defender despite his struggles to match up with Queta one-on-one. Still, that’s a better trade-off than him sneaking by Drummond when diving to the rim to hound the offensive glass.

The center’s dominance highlighted the main issue with Philadelphia’s options at the five: Inconsistency. There is no big man on the Sixers’ roster that they can play no matter the situation. It’s always a matter of picking and choosing Drummond and Bona’s flaws depending on the matchup.

When Embiid plays, Philadelphia often navigates the center issue well enough even if rebounding remains an issue. The reserve minutes are limited. But when he is unavailable, nothing is certain. Philadelphia is 12-16 without Embiid this season and its unease down low is a reason why.

Boston’s depth irritated the wound as Nikola Vučević posted 11 points and 12 rebounds off the bench. The Celtics acquired him at the trade deadline while the Sixers stood pat and didn't boost their frontcourt. With Embiid set to miss Philadelphia's next two games at least, the deficiency will continue to show.