Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid said he has to be more aggressive after his team's 109-101 defeat to the Boston Celtics in game one of the Eastern Conference first-round series.

Turnovers crippled the 76ers as rivals the Celtics made a winning start in the NBA playoffs at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida on Monday.

While Embiid put up 26 points and 16 rebounds in the absence of fellow All-Star Ben Simmons, it was not enough for the 76ers – who recorded 18 turnovers against the Celtics.

Embiid had five turnovers of his own, with the Celtics benefiting by scoring 21 points as a result in the first-round opener.

"Obviously not enough [shots]," Embiid – carrying the load with Simmons sidelined for the remainder of the season – said afterwards. "I've got to be more aggressive.

"Maybe we need to call some more plays but I don't know. That's another thing we've got to fix going into game two."

Championship hopefuls and sixth seeds the 76ers, who are looking to progress beyond the Conference semi-finals for the first time since losing to the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2001 NBA Finals, face the Celtics in game two on Wednesday.

"I've got to do more. I got one job to do, to carry us," Embiid said. "I'm going to need my team-mates to help but I need to do more.

"I've got to take more shots, I've got to be more aggressive, I've got to help my team-mates."

Philadelphia head coach Brett Brown shared his thoughts on his team's turnovers, adding: "This is the double-edged sword where you have to figure out what line do you want to walk.

"This overplaying the volume of just smashmouth, bully-ball post-ups; if you do it all the time it comes with some level of punishment if you're not careful."