The Celtics begin the second part of their season after the All Star break on the road to take on the 76ers in Philadelphia. This is the 3rd of 4 games between these two teams this season. The Celtics lost to the 76ers 118-114 in Boston on Christmas Day and then won 118-110 in a rematch in Philadelphia on February 2. They will meet one more time in Boston on March 6.
The Celtics won the series 3-1 last season with the 76ers winning the first meeting in Philadelphia and the Celtics winning the final 3 games of the season, one in Philadelphia and 2 in Boston. The Celtics are 271-198 overall all time against the 76ers and they are 114-141 all time in games played in Philadelphia.
The 76ers had a rather large turnover in players going into this season.. They added Paul George, Caleb Martin, Andre Drummond, Eric Gordon and Guerschon Yabusele. They also drafted Jared McCain and Adem Bona. They lost Mo Bamba, Robert Covington, Tobias Harris, Buddy Hield, Cameron Payne, Paul Reed, Nicolas Batum, Darius Bazley and DeAnthony Melton. At the trade deadline they
At the trade deadline, the Sixers traded Caleb Martin to Dallas for Quentin Grimes and sent Reggie Jackson to Washington for Jared Butler, who was on a two-way deal. The Sixers then converted Butler to a 2-year standard contract. More recently, they reportedly signed former Celtic Lonnie Walker IV. They also signed David Roddy to a 10 day contract.
The Celtics remain 2nd in the East. They are 5.5 games behind 1st place Cleveland. They are 2.5 games ahead of 3rd place New York and 8 games ahead of 4th place Indiana. They are 22-6 on the road and 8-2 in their last 10 games. They are 28-9 against Eastern Conference teams and 7-2 against the Atlantic Division. They have won their last 3 games.
The 76ers are 11th in the East, 24 games behind 1st place Cleveland. They are 8.5 games behind 6th place Detroit and the final guaranteed playoff spot. They are 1.5 games behind 10th place Chicago for the final play in spot. They are tied with 12th place Brooklyn. They are 10-17 at home and 4-6 in the last 10 games. They are 14-19 against the Eastern Conference and 3-5 against the Atlantic Division. They have lost their last 5 games.
The Celtics begin the final stretch after the All Star break playing at Philadelphia before returning home against the Knicks. They then play at the Raptors and at the Pistons before a 7 game home stand against Cleveland, Denver, Portland, Philadelphia, LA Lakers, Utah, and Oklahoma City.
This is the first of 3 at home for Philadelphia with Brooklyn and Chicago coming in next. They then play at New York , at home vs Golden State and Portland and then at Minnesota and their final game against the Celtics in Boston. Then it’s home against Utah and on the road at Atlanta and Toronto.
After missing the last 4 games for the Celtics with a shoulder injury, Jrue Holiday is no longer on the injury list. Their only entry is Xavier Tillman, who is questionable with a knee injury. For the 76ers, Eric Gordon (wrist), Justin Edwards (ankle), Kyle Lowry (hip), and Jared McCain (knee) are all listed as out.
Probable Celtics Starters
Celtics Reserves
Luke Kornet
Al Horford
Payton Pritchard
Neemias Queta
Baylor Scheierman
Jordan Walsh
Sam Hauser
Torrey Craig
2 Way Players
JD Davison
Drew Peterson
Anton Watson
Injuries/Out
Xavier Tillman (knee) questionable
Head Coach
Joe Mazzulla
Probable 76ers Starters
76ers Reserves
Adem Bona
Jared Butler
Ricky Council IV
Andre Drummond
David Roddy (10 Day)
Guerschon Yabusele
Lonnie Walker IV
2-Way Players
Jeff Dowtin, Jr
Injuries/Out
Jared McCain (knee) out
Justin Edwards (ankle) out
Eric Gordon (wrist) out
Kyle Lowry (hip) out
Head Coach
Nick Nurse
Key Matchups
Kristaps Porzingis vs Joel Embiid
Embiid has played just 17 games so far but is not listed as out so far for this game. He is averaging 24.9 points, 8.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 1 block per game. He is shooting 45.4% from the field and 33.3% from beyond the arc. Against the Celtics in 1 game so far, Embiid finished with 27 points, 9 rebounds, and 2 assists while shooting 53.3% from the field and 80% from three. I expect to see Al Horford defending him for at least part of the time because in the past, he has been effective against him.
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Jrue Holiday
Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images
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Tyrese Maxey
Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images
Jrue Holiday vs Tyrese Maxey
Maxey has blossomed now that he has the keys to the team. Maxey is averaging 27.6 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 6.1 assists per game. He is shooting 44.7% from the field and 34.6% from beyond the arc. In 2 games against the Celtics, he averaged 33.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 9 assists and 1.5 steals per game, while shooting 47.7% from the field and 47.1% from beyond the arc. He is very quick and difficult to stay with in the open court. Hopefully Holiday and White will be 100% and able to slow him down. Hopefully Tatum can pick up his strong play where he left off before the break.
Honorable Mention
Jayson Tatum vs Paul George
George is averaging 16.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 4.4 assists per game. He is shooting 42.6% from the field and 36.3% from beyond the arc. In the one game that George played against the Celtics, he finished with 12 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals while shooting 26.7% from the field and 0% on threes. Both of these players are good defenders and so that will make it harder for either one to score.
Keys to the Game
Defense – Defense will always be key to winning every game. The Celtics are 5th in the league with a defensive rating of 109.6. The 76ers are 23rd with a defensive rating of 115.0. The 76ers are 26th in the league, averaging 109.1 points per game. The Celtics are 6th, averaging 117.2 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 9th in the league, pulling down 45.1 rebounds per game while the 76ers are 30th with 39.0 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 19.6 points off turnovers per game (3rd). They also have at least 10 steals in their last 28 games, which is 3rd most in the league.
Play Hard 48 Minutes – The Celtics have to start out strong and play hard for 48 minutes, right up until the final buzzer. The Celtics also must play hard throughout the game and not get complacent if they are up. The Celtics also can’t let the 76ers build a lead and have to climb back into the game. The Celtics at times tend to play down to teams with bad records or who are missing players, but the 76ers
X-Factors
On the Road – The Celtics will be on the road and facing a very hostile crowd. Philly fans hate the Celtics because they have pretty much owned them in recent years. They hate Al Horford because they didn’t use him correctly and he didn’t live up to their expectations. They hate Jayson Tatum because the Celtics took him with Philly’s pick after the 76ers traded up to take Markelle Fultz. There will likely be a lot of boos and the Celtics need to play through them.
Rust vs Rest – Both teams are coming off of a week long All Star break. There will likely be some rust on both sides, although both Jaylen and Jayson played very well on Sunday, so they shouldn’t be quite as rusty. The Celtics should still have better chemistry as the 76ers once again made key changes at the trade deadline. The rest should be good for those players who were battling nagging injuries but could cause rust 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. 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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