Neemias Queta stole the show on Sunday night, leading the Boston Celtics to a 114-98 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers with 27 points and 17 rebounds. His opponent appeared to attribute some of his career performance to luck.
Queta cleaned up the glass with a resounding 10 offensive rebounds at TD Garden. After the game, via CLNS Media, 76ers center Andre Drummond tried to explain Queta's dominance down low.
“I tried to block him out," Drummond said. "Those weird bounces would just fall in his hands, or it would get tipped to him somehow, someway. Nothing he did to like — he played hard. I’m not even gonna say that. He played great. He had a great game. He played well.
"I think it was a career night for him. Shouldn't have happened against me, but whatever. It is what it is."
Drummond produced his own double-double with 10 points and 12 boards, but he and the 76ers had no answers for Queta. The 26-year-old made 10 of 14 field goals and swatted three blocks in 27 minutes, during which Boston outscored Philadelphia by 20 points.
Even if Drummond feels some fortuitous breaks contributed to the huge showing, the two-time All-Star said he encouraged Queta to use the outing as a stepping stone for more success. The seven-footer is averaging 10.1 points, 8.4 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game (all career-highs) in his fifth season.
"I told him after the game, I said, 'Build on this,'" Drummond recalled. "Use this momentum and build on it. You should feel good about yourself. It was a great game. You played well. Do it again."
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