The Celtics and 76ers meet for the 4th and final time this season. The 76ers won the first game 118-114on Christmas Day in Boston. The Celtics lost to the 76ers 118-114 in Boston on Christmas Day. The Celtics won 118-110 in a rematch in Philadelphia on February 2. The Celtic won The third meeting 124-104, once again in Philadelphia.
The Celtics are 272-198 overall, all time against the 76ers. They are 157-57 in games played in Boston. The Celtics are playing in the second of back to back games, playing the Trail Blazers in Boston on Wednesday. They are 5-4 on the second night of back to back games and they are 2-2 when the second game is at home. The 76ers are playing in the 3rd game in 4 nights.
The Celtics are 2nd in the East, and are 8 games behind the first place Cavaliers who have won their last 12 games, including a win over Boston. They are 3.5 games ahead of 3rd place New York, and 7.5 games ahead of 4th place Milwaukee. The Celtics are 20-11 at home and 8-2 in their last 10 games. They are 31-11 against Eastern Conference opponents and 10-2 against the Atlantic Division. After they lost 2 straight, the Celtics have won their last 2 games.
The 76ers are 12th in the East, 30 games behind 1st place Cleveland. They are 8.5 games behind 6th place Detroit and the final guaranteed playoff spot. They are 2.5 games behind 10th place Chicago for the final play-in spot. They are tied with 11th place Brooklyn. They are 10-19 on the road and 1-9 in the last 10 games. They are 14-24 against the Eastern Conference and 3-9 against the Atlantic Division. They have lost their last 2 games.
The Celtics are playing in the 3rd game of a 7 game home stand. They lost the first game to the Cleveland Cavaliers and then beat the Denver Nuggets on Monday and Portland on Wednesday. After this game against Philadelphia, the Celtics will host Los Angeles Lakers, Utah, and Oklahoma City. After the 7 home games they will play 8 of the next 9 games on the road, including another trip out West.
The 76ers are playing in their second straight road game, having lost at Minnesota on Tuesday. They have one game at home against Utah before hitting the road again to play at Atlanta and at Toronto. Then, it’s one more game at home against Indiana. They then have a 6 game road trip that will take them through Dallas, Houston, Oklahoma City, San Antonio, Atlanta and New Orleans.
The Celtics have 6 players on the injury list. Jayson Tatum (shoulder) missed Wednesday’s game and is questionable for this game. I’m guessing that he will play. Jaylen Brown (knee) played Wednesday, but is out for this game. Horford (toe) will miss this game along with Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis. Sam Hauser limped off the court on Wednesday and is questionable for this game. It’s tough to predict who will start and who will play.
The 76ers have 7 players on the injury report. Six of those players are listed as out. Joel Embiid has been shut down for the year and will miss this game. Eric Gordon (wrist) and Jared McCain are both out. Tyrese Maxey (back) and Kyle Lowry (hip) and Paul George (groin) are all listed as out. Justin Edwards (ankle) is questionable I’m just guessing at the starters at this point. The Sixers may just shut everyone down to try to keep their top 6 protected pick.
Probable Celtics Starters
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Celtics Reserves
Neemias QuetaBaylor ScheiermanXavier TillmanSam HauserTorrey Craig
2 Way PlayersJD DavisonDrew PetersonMiles Norris
Injuries/OutAl Horford (toe) outJrue Holiday (finger) out Kristaps Porzingis (illness) out Jaylen Brown (knee) out Sam Hauser (ankle/leg) questionable Jayson Tatum (shoulder) questionable
Head CoachJoe Mazzulla
Probable 76ers Starters
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76ers ReservesAdem BonaJared ButlerLonnie Walker IV
2-Way PlayersJeff Dowtin, JrAlex Reese
Injuries/OutJared McCain (knee) outJustin Edwards (ankle) questionableEric Gordon (wrist) outKyle Lowry (hip) outJoel Embiid (knee) out Tyrese Maxey (back) out Paul George (groin) out
Head CoachNick Nurse
Key Matchups
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Jayson Tatum
Photo by Nic Antaya/Getty Images
Guerschon Yabusele
Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images
Jayson Tatum vs Guershon YabuseleYabusele is averaging 10.8 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game. He is shooting 50.9% from the field and 40% from beyond the arc. In 3 games against the Celtics, he averaged 12.3 points, and 6.0 rebounds, while shooting 50% from the field and 44.4% from beyond the arc. Former Celtics always seem to try harder against their former team and so the Celtics need to be ready for Yabusele to have a big game, especially from the perimeter.
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Derrick White
Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images
Kelly Oubre, Jr
Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images
Derrick White vs Kelly Oubre, JrOubre is averaging 15.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.5 steals per game. He is shooting 47.2% from the field and 29.2% from beyond the arc. In 3 games against the Celtics this season, he averaged 12.7 points, 8.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.7 steals per game, while shooting 37.8% from the field and 27.3% from beyond the arc.
Keys to the GameDefense – Defense will always be key to winning every game. The Celtics are 5th in the league with a defensive rating of 110.0. The 76ers are 25th with a defensive rating of 115.9. The 76ers are 26th in the league, averaging 109.1 points per game. The Celtics are 8th, averaging 116.8 points per game. The Celtics need to increase their efforts on the defensive end even more. They have to make defense their priority for every possession of the game because that is how they are going to win this game and a 2nd championship.
Rebound – Rebounding is second to defense as the key to winning. The Celtics are 11th in the league, pulling down 44.9 rebounds per game while the 76ers are 30th with 39.2 rebounds per game. It takes effort to get rebounds and the Celtics must go all out in their effort to beat the Sixers on the boards. The Celtics also need to give themselves extra possessions by rebounding on the offensive end and keep the 76ers from getting 2nd chance points on the defensive end. If the Celtics want to win this one, it is crucial that they go all out to crash the boards.
Move the Ball Carefully – The Celtics need to move the ball in order to find the best shot on each possession. When the ball sticks and players try to do too much, the Celtics struggle. They are at their best when they pass the ball and keep it moving. But they have to make careful passes and not get sloppy because the 76ers average 19.2 points off turnovers per game (7th).
Don’t Underestimate – The 76ers have been pretty bad lately and will likely be sitting key players. They have a lot of motivation to lose so as not to lose their first round pick if it is 7th or later. However, never underestimate a team’s hatred of the Celtics. It seems that every team, even the tanking teams get up to play the Celtics and give it their best effort. I expect the 76ers to play hard and give it their best to try to beat the Celtics. The Celtics can’t take them for granted and need to come in with maximum effort for 48 minutes.
X-Factors Home Game – The Celtics are once again at home where they will have the crowd behind them and will be playing on a familiar court. The 76ers are 10-19 on the road so far. Teams strive to get home court advantage for a reason and the Celtics need to take advantage of having the crowd behind them and being on their home court. Hopefully the 76ers are distracted by travel, a hotel stay, and a hostile crowd.
Injuries and Back to Back – It’s hard to tell who will be playing and who will be out for both teams. We may get to see a lot of the stay ready crews in this one. Also, the Celtics are playing on the second night of back to back games while the 76ers are playing in the 3rd game in 4 nights. Fatigue could come into play, especially with so many players out or less than 100% on both sides.
Officiating – Officiating is always an x-factor. Every crew calls the game differently. Some call it tight and call every bit of contact while others allow more physical play. Some favor the home team while others call both sides evenly. Some hand out technicals like Christmas candy. The Celtics have to adjust to the way the refs are calling the game and not allow the no calls and bad calls to affect their focus on playing the game.
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