In the first game of the 2022-23 NBA season, the Philadelphia 76ers lost to the Boston Celtics by a score of 126-117. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown had tremendous impacts on the game by scoring 35 points apiece. But to Sixers head coach Doc Rivers, another Boston player was the true key to their success.

In his postgame press conference on NBC Sports Philadelphia, Rivers said that new Celtics guard Malcolm Brogdon was the most important player in the game.

“I thought Brogdon, honestly, was probably the most important player in the game tonight,” Rivers told reporters after the Sixers' loss. “I thought he changed the game for them. He kept them alive. I thought Brogdon hurt us tonight and he hurt us with his right-hand dribble penetration. That's frustrating. That was a frustrating thing to see.”

Brogdon put up timely buckets for the Celtics as he tallied 16 points on 7-11 shooting against the Sixers. He added four assists and two steals to his stat line and played 23 minutes. Many of his buckets came at the start of the second quarter, when Philly had a lead it eventually lost, and at the start of the fourth quarter.

Tatum and Brown were the major takeaways for most viewers. They had it going on offense, especially as they found their way into the fast break after forcing turnovers. Overall, the Celtics saw great performances from several players as they defeated the Sixers. James Harden led the way for Philly with 35 points, eight boards and seven assists.

Joel Embiid and Marcus Smart got chippy at one point, as they so often do, in an eventful season opener. The Sixers will look to rebound from the loss on Thursday against the Milwaukee Bucks.