After 2 games against the Denver Nuggets in Abu Dhabi, the Celtics return to the TD Garden to face the division rival Philadelphia 76ers. While the Celtics stood pat in the off season, bringing back their same core, the 76ers reworked their roster in the off season in hopes of catching up with the Celtics and hoping to finally be able to get out of the second round in the playoffs.
Gone are Tobias Harris, Buddy Hield, Nicolas Batum, De’Anthony Melton, Robert Covington, Paul Reed, Cameron Payne, and Mo Bamba. Additions to their roster include Paul George, Caleb Martin, Guerschon Yabusele, Eric Gordon, Reggie Jackson, Andre Drummond, Jared McCain, and Adem Bona. They are hoping that Paul George will form a big 3 with Maxey and Embiid to challenge the Celtics for the title.
As with any preseason game, it is difficult to say who will definitely start for both teams. I’m going to guess that the Celtics will stick with the same five that started against the Nuggets since they haven’t played since Sunday, October 6. Joe Mazzulla has said that Al Horford will play in at least 1 or 2 of the remaining preseason games, but, since Luke Kornet has fit well as the starting center, Horford may come off the bench if he plays.
The 76ers started Tyrese Maxey, Eric Gordon, Kelly Oubre, Caleb Martin and Andre Drummond in their first game and replaced Gordon with Paul George for their second game. They are playing back to back games having lost to the Timberwolves 121-111 in Iowa on Friday night and so I doubt they will play him in back to back games.
Also, since Philly’s starters all played between 23 and 26 minutes on Friday, we probably won’t see them at all in this game. In addition, 76ers coach Nick Nurse has said that most of the vets would rest in this game, although only Embiid is listed on their injury list. It’s hard to guess who will start so I’ve listed the 2nd option at each position on their depth chart. But, it’s only a guess.
The Celtics were 3-1 against the 76ers last season. They will play 4 times this season beginning with a Christmas Day clash. They will also face each other on February 2, February 20, and March 6. The Celtics are 270-197 overall all time against the 76ers and they are 157-56 in games played in Boston.
The Celtics returned from Abu Dhabi with no new injuries. Kristaps Porzingis remains out for the Celtics as he rehabs from offseason surgery on his ankle. Joel Embiid did not play in either of Philly’s games so far and is questionable for this one as they try to start the season with him healthy. Embiid is the only player on the injury list but I’m not expecting any of the starters from their last game to play.
Probable Celtics Starters
Celtics Reserves
Sam Hauser
Al Horford
Payton Pritchard
Neemias Queta
Baylor Scheierman
Jaden Springer
Xavier Tillman, Sr
Jordan Walsh
2 Way Players
JD Davison
Drew Peterson
Anton Watson
Training Camp Contracts
Ron Harper, Jr
Jay Scrubb
Dmytro Skapintsev
Lonnie Walker IV
Injuries/Out
Kristaps Porzingis (ankle) out
Head Coach
Joe Mazzulla
Probable 76ers Starters
Sixers Reserves
Adem Bona
Tyrese Maxey
Kelly Oubre, Jr
Caleb Martin
Andre Drummond
Paul George
Reggie Jackson
Jared McCain
Judah Mintz
2 Way Players
Jeff Dowtin, Jr
Justin Edwards
Lester Quinones
Training Camp Contracts
Max Fiedler
Isaiah Mobley
Jordan Tucker
Injuries/Out
Joel Embiid (rest) questionable
Head Coach
Nick Nurse
Key Matchups
Jrue Holiday vs Kyle Lowry
With Maxey likely to sit out the second of back to back games for Philly, I’m guessing that Kyle Lowry will start, although, being one of the vets and an older player, Reggie Jackson may get the start in Maxey’s place. On Friday, Lowry played just 8.5 minutes and finished with 3 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists. He missed both of the shots he took.
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Luke Kornet
Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images
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Guerschon Yabusele
Photo by David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images
Luke Kornet vs Guerschon Yabusele
Andre Drummond started both of the 76ers games so far but since he played 24 minutes on Friday, I doubt we will see him in this game. Luke Kornet started both games for the Celtics and will likely start this game but there’s a chance that Al Horford may get the start as well. Yabusele wasted no time in making the most of his second chance in the NBA. In the first game against the Breakers, he was first off the bench and finished with 15 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists and 1 steal while shooting 100% from the field and 100% from beyond the arc. On Friday, he finished with 3 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal and 1 block in 11 minutes of play.
Honorable Mention
Jaylen Brown vs Ricky Council IV
As with the other starters, I’m just guessing that Council will get the start. Over the first 2 games, he averaged 9 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1.5 steals while shooting 67% from the field and 67% from beyond the arc. This is his 2nd season with the 76ers, with a solid first season under his belt.
Keys to the Game
Defense – Defense will always be key to winning every game, whether Summer League, preseason, regular season or playoffs. The Celtics won a championship last season because they made defense a priority. They have to make defense their priority for every possession of every game.
Rebound – Rebounding is second to defense as a key to winning. 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 need to keep the 76ers from getting extra points around the basket as they had 20 2nd chance points vs the Breakers. The Celtics also need to give themselves extra possessions by rebounding on the offensive end. If the Celtics want to win this one, it is crucial that they go all out to crash the boards.
3 Point Shooting – The Celtics relied on shooting threes last season. They were first in the league, taking 43.5 three pointers per game. They were also 1st in the league, making 16.5 threes a game. Over their 2 games against the Nuggets, the Celtics attempted a whopping 54 threes per game and made 35% of them. When the Celtics are making their 3’s they are hard to beat, but when they struggle to make 3’s, the game gets really ugly.
Chemistry – The Celtics are returning basically the same team that won the championship last season. The 76ers, on the other hand, lost 8 players from last season and replaced them with 8 new players. It may take them awhile to build chemistry with all the new faces, while the Celtics should be able to pick up where they left off last season.
X-Factors
Home Game – The Celtics return to the Garden for the first time since they won the Championship there last season. The Garden should be rocking and the Celtics should draw motivation from their fans.
It’s the Preseason – Player development, building chemistry, and player evaluation are the most important thing for coaches in the preseason. We will probably see more of the rookies in this game as well as the players on camp contracts as coaches evaluate the players on the bubble for playing time and try to preserve their starters for the regular season.
Officiating – I know that I say this every game, but the officiating can always be an x-factor even in the preseason. Every crew calls the game differently whether they call every little ticky tack foul or they let a lot of contact go and let the teams play. The refs are in their preseason also, so it’s hard to know how they will call this one. The Celtics have got to adjust to the way the game is being called and not let the calls affect their focus or their play.
