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

The Celtics hung on late, this time needing the 76ers to miss at the buzzer. The end result was a 109-108 Boston victory Friday from Philadelphia. The C’s won their third straight game, getting to 3-3, while the Sixers dropped to 4-1. Boston also improved to 1-0 in NBA Cup East Group B play.

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.

Just a day removed from enacting their vengeance against the Philadelphia 76ers in another one-point nailbiter and winning their third straight game this season

Simons is now averaging 15.5 points per game on the year with terrific shooting from 3-point range (40 percent). If he continues to find his groove with this new mentality within Boston’s second unit offense, the Celtics will be a much better team for it.

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.

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