Celtics fall to Sixers for second time in 3 early season meetings

For the third time in 21 days, the Boston Celtics matched up against the Philadelphia 76ers as they end their short three-game road trip. After splitting two games with the Orlando Magic since last Friday, the Celtics continued on their battle through the Eastern Conference in a rivalry matchup that will continue to be one of the most entertaining throughout the league.

The Celtics would come up short in the end, which now gives the Sixers a 2-1 lead over Boston in their season series. There will now be a big break between the two franchises, as they won't meet again until March 1, 2026 at TD Garden.

Final score: Philadelphia 76ers 102, Boston Celtics 100

Keys to the game:

Early-shooting woes: The Celtics were abysmal in the first half of the game, scoring a total of 41 points in the first half as Philadelphia rolled early on. The team could not hit any of their shots early in the game, with Derrick White and Jaylen Brown struggling the most on the team early on.

Third quarter turnaround: Philadelphia has been one of the worst teams in the NBA when it comes to third quarter differential, and Boston made the most of it. With White and Brown catching a rhythm in the third quarter, the Celtics would go on to outscore Philadelphia 36-20 in the third quarter, but it would ultimately not be enough.

Justin Edwards' show: A Philadelphia native, Justin Edwards had one of the most efficient and crucial games of his young career, dropping 22 points for the Sixers. Edwards would shoot 8-9 from the field, 5-6 from 3-point range, and added 3 rebounds and 3 assists to his stat line on the night. The reserve guard would also be Philadelphia's game-high scorer, while Jaylen Brown led all scorers with 24 points.

Highlight of the game: Kelly Oubre's putback wins it for Sixers

put that thing back @KELLYOUBREJR 😤😤😤 pic.twitter.com/7R3o3Zrmrv— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) November 12, 2025

What's next: vs. Memphis Grizzlies, Wednesday, November 12, 7:30PM ET

Heading back to Boston after dropping two of their three games on the road, the Celtics will welcome a lowly Memphis Grizzlies team on the second night of a back-to-back. Both Memphis and Boston will be coming off losses after the Grizzlies were downed by the Knicks on Tuesday night, and their team has plenty of questions across the board. Superstar point guard Ja Morant has already been suspended one game this season for conduct detrimental to the team and the Grizzlies have won 4 of their first 12 games. The series between these two teams was split last season, with each team picking up their victory on the road.

This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Celtics fall to Sixers for second time in 3 early season meetings