The Boston Celtics survived a frantic finish to secure a narrow victory over the Philadelphia 76ers, 109-108, in their opening match of the 2025 Emirates NBA Cup group stage on Saturday morning (Manila time) at the Xfinity Mobile Arena.

Jaylen Brown carried the offensive load for the Celtics, pouring in a game-high 32 points while getting significant support from Anfernee Simons with 19 points as well as Derrick White and Payton Prichard who contributed 15 points apiece to the winning effort.

For Philadelphia, the star duo of Tyrese Maxey (26) and Joel Embiid (20) led the charge, but ultimately fell just short in the final moments of the highly-anticipated group stage clash.

Boston appeared to have the game in the bag with a comfortable 10-point lead with less than four minutes remaining. However, Philadelphia launched a furious comeback, driven by the hot shooting of Maxey, VJ Edgecomb, and Quentin Grimes.

With 21 seconds left, Maxey trimmed the deficit down to one point, 109-108, after finishing a quick layup. However, the Celtics successfully ran the clock out, sealing the crucial victory against their division rivals.

The Celtics will play the Houston Rockets in a second game of a back-to-back tomorrow, while the Sixers will look to recoup and bounce back against the Brooklyn Nets on Monday.