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The Celtics continue their 3 game road trip with a stop in Philadelphia to take on their division rivals, the Philadelphia 76ers. This is the 2nd of 4 matches between these two teams this season. The Celtics lost the first game 118-114 on Christmas Day in Boston. They will play two more times after this on February 20 in Philadelphia and on March 6 in Boston. The Celtics won the series 3-1 last season, losing one game in Philadelphia.
Although Joel Embiid says that this is not a rivalry because the Celtics always win, it definitely has the makings of being a divisional rivalry. The Celtics are 270-198 overall all time against the 76ers and they are 113-141 all time in games played in Philadelphia. The Celtics and 76ers have met 22 times in NBA playoff history. Of those 22 playoff series, the Celtics have won 15 of them.
The 76ers had a rather large turnover in players this season and that may be one reason for their struggles this season along with terrible luck with injuries. 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.
The Celtics are 2nd in the East, and are 5.5 games behind the first place Cavaliers who have won their last 3 games. They are 2 games ahead of 3rd place New York, who won 5 straight games before losing their last game, and 6.5 games ahead of 4th place Milwaukee. The Celtics are 18-6 on the road and 6-4 in their last 10 games. They are 24-9 against Eastern Conference opponents and 5-2 against the Atlantic Division. They have won their last 2 games.
The 76ers are 11th in the East. They were expected to challenge the Celtics at the top of the East, but not much has gone right for them this season and they sit 19.5 games out of first place. They are 4.5 games behind 6th place Detroit and 1 game behind 10th place Chicago. They are 4.5 games ahead of 12th place Toronto. They are 9-14 at home and 4-6 in their last 10 games. They are 14-14 against Eastern Conference teams and 3-3 against the Atlantic Division. They are coming off a loss in their last game.
The Celtics just completed a 1-1 home stand, losing to the Rockets and beating the Bulls. They began a 3 game road trip with a 2 point win over the short-handed Pelicans, they will play 1 more game on this road trip in Cleveland after this game. Then they have one game at home against Dallas before playing at New York and at Miami and finally, at home against San Antonio before the All Star Break.
The 76ers are playing in the 4th game of a 6 game home stand. They began the home stand with wins over the Lakers and Kings before losing to the Nuggets. After this game they will host Dallas and Miami to complete the home stand. After that they will play at Detroit and Milwaukee before a home game against Toronto. They will play at Brooklyn to close out the first half of the season before the All Star Break.
The Celtics have Payton Pritchard on the injury list as questionable with a non-covid illness. For the 76ers, Joel Embiid will miss his 15th straight game with a knee injury. Paul George will miss his fourth straight game due to an extensor tendon injury on his left hand. KJ Martin will miss his 21st straight game due to a left foot injury. Jared McCain is out for the season with a lateral meniscus tear. Andre Drummond has missed the last five games with a toe injury and is questionable for this game. Also questionable is Celtics killer Caleb Martin who has missed the last 11 games with a right hip strain. Drummond and Martin will be a game time decision.
Probable Celtics Starters
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Celtics ReservesLuke KornetAl HorfordPayton PritchardNeemias QuetaBaylor ScheiermanJaden SpringerJordan WalshXavier TillmanSam Hauser
2 Way PlayersJD DavisonDrew PetersonAnton Watson
Injuries/OutPayton Pritchard (illness) questionable
Head CoachJoe Mazzulla
Probable 76ers Starters
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76ers Reserves Adem BonaRicky Council IVReggie Jackson Kyle Lowry
2-Way PlayersJeff Dowtin, JrJustin EdwardsPete Nance
Injuries/Out Andre Drummond (toe) questionable Caleb Martin (hip) questionableJared McCain (knee) out KJ Martin (foot) outJoel Embiid (knee) out Paul George (finger) out
Head CoachNick Nurse
Key Matchups
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Jrue Holiday vs Tyrese Maxey Maxey has blossomed now that he has the keys to the team. Maxey is averaging 27.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 1.9 steals per game. He is shooting 44.2% from the field and 34.3% from beyond the arc. In the first game against the Celtics he finished with 33 points, 4 rebounds, 12 assists, 1 blocks and 3 steals while shooting 52.2% from the field and 33.3% from beyond the arc. He is very quick and difficult to stay with in the open court. I’m hoping that Holiday and White can slow him down.
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Jayson Tatum vs Kelly Oubre, JrOubre is averaging 14.4 points, 6.2 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.5 steals per game. he is shooting 46.3% from the field and 28.6% from beyond the arc. In the first game against the Celtics, he finished with 4 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks and 1 steal while shooting 33.3% from the field with no 3 pointers.
Honorable MentionKristaps Porzingis vs Guerschon YabuseleWith Embiid out with a knee injury, the 76ers have been starting former Celtic Guerschon Yabusele who is averaging 10.8 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game. He is shooting 51.1% from the field and 40% from beyond the arc. There have been rumors that the Celtics are interested in a trade for their former draft pick. If he has a big game, they may get more serious about trade talks.
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 109.6. The 76ers are 23rd with a defensive rating of 114.7. The 76ers are 25th in the league, averaging 109 points per game. The Celtics are 5th, averaging 117.3 points per game. The Celtics need to do a better job of defending the 3 point line as it seems that every game someone goes off for a career high on 3’s. They allowed the Pelicans to shoot 40.5% from beyond the arc. They have to do better. They have to make defense their priority for every possession of the game because that is how they are going to win.
Rebound – Rebounding is second to defense as a key to winning. The Celtics are 12th in the league, pulling down 44.8 rebounds per game while the 76ers are 30th with 38.8 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. The Celtics were out-rebounded by the Pelicans 48-35. If the Celtics want to win this one, it is crucial that they go all out to crash the boards and win the rebounding battle.
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. They are 14-0 when they have 30 ore more assists. But they have to make careful passes and not get sloppy because the 76ers average 19.8 points off turnovers per game (4th).
Focus and Energy – Too many times, when the Celtics face a shorthanded team, especially one missing one or more stars, they come out sluggish and are out-played and out-worked. The Celtics need to come out with energy and give the same effort that they would if facing the top team at full strength. They also have to stay focused. They missed 8 free throws against the Pelicans and that can happen when players aren’t focused. They have to stay focused on making their shots and playing team ball and they have to play with full effort and energy.
X-FactorsOn the Road – The Celtics are playing on the road once again. Whether it is the travel, hotel living, or an unfamiliar arena and hostile fans, there are plenty of distractions to hinder a team playing on the road. The Celtics need to come in focused and not allow the distractions of playing away from home to keep them from playing their best.
Officiating – Officiating always has the possibility to be an x-factor. Every crew calls the game differently. Some call every bit of contact while some let them play. Some favor the home team and some call it evenly and some are just bad. Hopefully the Celtics get a crew that calls it even and lets both teams play. However the game is called, they need to focus on the game and not allow bad or no calls to take that focus away.
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