PHILADELPHIA - Entering a campaign with a roster full of established stars, center Joel Embiid dismisses any notion that teammates must yield ground for collective success.

"I reject the idea of sacrificing," Embiid remarked following Friday's preseason finale. "You simply perform at your peak, and the group backs you up. No one should feel forced to step aside."

Absent second-year guard VJ Edgecombe, who sat out the contest against the Boston Celtics as a precaution, coach Nick Nurse fielded what appeared closest to his intended opening unit.

The remaining starters - LeBron James, Tyrese Maxey, Jaylen Brown and Embiid - each logged their longest stretches yet and remained on the floor deep into the second half. Embiid, coming off a rough showing with six points and eight turnovers versus the Nets, delivered a strong response.

He finished with 27 points, eight rebounds and five assists. During the third quarter he threw down a powerful dunk that energized the crowd inside Xfinity Mobile Arena.

"Dunking felt great. I wondered if I would ever do it again," Embiid said, grinning. "Something just took over."

Even so, the unit appeared unsettled at times against Boston's reserves. Afterward players acknowledged the rough patches. Brown highlighted poor spacing that created turnovers and stressed the need for continued improvement.

"We are not at the level we expect yet," he noted. "It comes with blending a new group that features varied approaches, but daily progress remains the focus."

James agreed with those assessments yet expressed confidence the pieces would align.

"We are making headway," James said. "We have only had a couple of weeks together, so we continue sharpening our timing and ironing out issues. Perfection is not expected overnight."

The 76ers begin the regular season Tuesday against the New York Knicks.