The Boston Celtics handed the Philadelphia 76ers their first loss of the season and delivered a wire-to-wire reminder of their resilience, edging out a tense 109-108 victory to open NBA Cup play on Friday night.

Payton Pritchard and Derrick White had 15 points apiece for the Celtics, who evened their record at .500 by winning their third straight after beginning the season with three consecutive losses. Boston evened a 117-116 season-opening defeat to the 76ers on Oct. 22.

The Celtics led by 24 points in the second quarter on Friday and were still fortunate to leave Philadelphia with a win.

The Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers have played two incredible games this season. Philadelphia pulled off an incredible comeback win on opening night, and fell just short of doing it once again last night.

Preview the Philadelphia 76ers' NBA matchup with Boston, including betting odds, tips, trends, and game information.

Joel Embiid dissects the team's defensive struggles after the Philadelphia 76ers fall to the Boston Celtics in the NBA Cup.

The Celtics beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 125-105 Wednesday, covering as a 3.5-point home underdog as the Under (233.5) cashed. F Jaylen Brown led the way with 30 points and has picked up much of the scoring load with F Jayson Tatum out with a torn Achilles. Boston, which lost its first 3 games, has won and covered in 2 straight contests.

Boston fan and NBA expert Bill Simmons could not hold back from criticizing Joel Embiid’s foul-drawing tactics.

Celtics rookie Hugo Gonzalez brought the effort Boston needed to beat the rival (and previously undefeated) 76ers in Philadelphia.