The Celtics and 76ers are trending in opposite directions.
Boston has won eight straight and is playing some of its best basketball of the season. Philadelphia has lost 11 of 15 and is reeling without Joel Embiid.
Typically, a matchup between the two wouldn’t be viewed as a trap game, but Tuesday’s 7:30 p.m. clash at TD Garden has that feel. Here are three things to look for as the Celtics welcome a rival to town.
Can the Celtics maintain their killer instinct?
One thing that’s really stood out during this streak is the way the Celtics have punished teams and shown a killer instinct to put games away.
Derrick White believes the Celtics haven’t peaked yet: “We think we can just keep getting better. We know what the end goal is, but we got 25 more games to keep playing our best basketball.” pic.twitter.com/dQRkCWMoLW
— Taylor Snow (@taylorcsnow) February 26, 2024
Sometimes in the past, they’ve let teams hang around and let certain matchups stay much closer than they should be. Lately, that hasn’t happened. Boston is 22-1 against teams below .500 this year. While the 76ers are still above .500, they have a sub-.500 feel in Embiid’s absence.
Tyrese Maxey can hoop, Buddy Hield can get hot and Kelly Oubre Jr. will make his presence felt, but the Celtics have a sizable talent advantage. This is another great test, and keeping their focus high throughout will be imperative.
Can Jaylen Brown build off a strong performance?
Jaylen Brown turned in one of his best games to date Saturday against the Knicks, erupting for 30 points (13 of 24 from the field), 8 rebounds and 3 assists with no turnovers. Not a bad day at the office.
Brown is really the X-factor for the Celtics, in my opinion. When he plays like the All-Star that he is, they’re almost unbeatable. When he’s just OK, that’s when things tend to go awry.
Celtics this season:
— Highest ORTG of all-time
— Top 10 NETRTG of all-time
— Top 3 in ORTG, DRTG and NETRTG
— Best home record by a team since 2016Best team since _________ . pic.twitter.com/Q3WuQQZSQ3
— StatMuse (@statmuse) February 26, 2024
Despite his dominance the other night, it’s been a tough shooting month for Brown overall. He’s shooting just 29.4 percent from 3-point range and 55 percent from the line in February. This is another chance for him to dictate the action against a team that theoretically shouldn’t be able to guard him.
Can the Celtics slow Maxey down?
With Embiid sidelined, Maxey has even more of a green light and is capable of going off on any given night. He dropped 51 against the Jazz earlier this month and is averaging 26.4 points, 5.6 assists and 4.4 rebounds in February.
If Maxey gets in a rhythm early, it could be a tricky night for the Celtics. If they play with the same defensive intensity they’ve shown lately to neutralize him, they should have a great chance to prevail.
The 76ers aren’t nearly as potent without Embiid, but they still have a superstar who can wreck a game plan.
