Sixers Head Coach Makes Shock Admission Over Celtics' Neemias Queta — and more

Sixers Head Coach Makes Shock Admission Over Celtics' Neemias Queta originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Neemias Queta was the best player on the floor as the Boston Celtics defeated the Philadelphia 76ers 114-98 on Sunday, March 1. The rim-running big man ended the night with 27 points, 17 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 blocks. Queta consistently found ways to score against the Sixers, be it put-back buckets, driving the lane or attacking the seams as a cutter.

During his postgame news conference, Sixers’ head coach Nick Nurse gave an honest assessment of Queta’s performance, admitting that his athleticism gave him an edge over Philadelphia’s front court.

“He just seemed a little too quick and athletic for us tonight, too big or something,” Nurse said. “He just seemed like every time we'd make a miss, he seemed to be down there reaching up above all the other hands and pulling it down and keeping it alive. He was really hard to handle tonight for sure.”

Queta has steadily improved his game this season, after being moved into the starting lineup following the departures of Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford and Luke Kornet via trade and free agency, respectively. Even the addition of Nikola Vucevic, who also had a strong showing against Philadelphia, hasn’t displaced Queta from his role in the starting unit.

The fact that Boston’s center rotation was so dominant against the Sixers is an encouraging sign. During the opening months of the 2025-26 season, the big man rotation was seen as a serious weak point in the roster construction. Now, it’s no longer an area of concern.

If Queta continues to produce at the level we saw from him on Sunday, he will have a sizeable role to play in the upcoming postseason. Queta has proven himself to be a starting-caliber big man, and with just one season left on his three-year $7 million deal, a payday might be right around the corner.

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Arsenal achieved the earliest ‘St. Totteringham’s Day’ in history on Sunday, but the Gunners still have one more record to try and break in the final nine games.

Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images

As covered early last week, Arsenal had the opportunity to confirm their earliest-ever finish over Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, excluding seasons where the two clubs didn’t play in the same division.

The Gunners needed either a win over Chelsea, or for Spurs to fail to beat Fulham. In the end, Arsenal didn’t need to wait until their 16:30 kick-off, with Spurs themselves losing to confirm their failure to finish above the Gunners.

That result made March 1st the new record earliest date of ‘St. Totteringham’s Day’, the day invented by Arsenal fans for when they confirm a finish above their north London rivals.

But it also meant the Gunners achieved the feat with 10 games to play, a joint record shared with the 2003/04 ‘Invincibles’ side. Sky Sports rounded up the previous earliest dates in the graphic below:

Arsenal still have one more north London rivalry record in their sights, with the Gunners having the chance to achieve their greatest-ever points difference over Spurs at the conclusion of the season.

The current record stands at 45 points, again achieved by the 2003/04 team playing under Arsene Wenger.

Mikel Arteta’s side sit 35 points clear of Spurs, having played a game more. So it’s still possible for Arsenal to finish 46+ points ahead of Igor Tudor’s side, but both teams will need to keep picking up the same kinds of results they have been for the remainder of the campaign.

Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images

Arsenal’s primary focus is obviously on winning trophies, and they’ll value a Premier League title far more than a record-breaking finish above Spurs.

But given the way to achieve those two ends is just to keep winning matches, there’s no harm in hoping for both.

The NFL draft is two months away, however, for fans of the Las Vegas Raiders, the drama should be over.

The Raiders, of course, own the No. 1 overall pick in the April 23-25 draft.

Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza, the Heisman Trophy winner, had been the early favorite to be the team’s pick. But that went to the next level after his incredible play in a NCAA playoff win over Oregon. Mendoza was near perfect in the game.

He looks like the clear-cut choice. The Raiders badly need a young quarterback and Mendoza fits the bill perfectly, it seems.

Still, we our our readers. Yes, they agree. In a popular poll, about 90 percent of the poll takers agree that Mendoza is the choice.

So, it’s clear most fans aren’t on the fence about Mendoza. They aren’t eying anyone else. They don’t want the Raiders trade the pick for a load of compensation.

They want Mendoza.

Here are some of your responses: