Post by FLCeltsFan on Feb 26, 2024 21:27:12 GMT -5
at 
Philadelphia 76ers (33-24) at Boston Celtics (45-12)
Tuesday, February 27, 2024
7:30 PM ET
Regular Season Game [HASH]58, Home Game [HASH]30
TV: TNT
Radio: 98.5 Sports Hub, 97.5 Fanatic
TD Garden
Probable Starting Matchups
Point Guard
vs 
Jrue Holiday vs Tyrese Maxey
Shooting Guard
vs 
Derrick White vs Buddy Hield
Small Forward
vs 
Jaylen Brown vs Nicolas Batum
Poward Forward
vs 
Jayson Tatum vs Tobias Harris
Center
vs 
Kristaps Porzingis vs Paul Reed
Celtics Reserves
Oshae Brissett
Sam Hauser
Al Horford
Luke Kornet
Svi Mykhailiuk
Payton Pritchard
Jordan Walsh
Xavier Tillman
Jaden Springer
2 Way Players
JD Davison
Drew Peterson
Neemias Queta
Injuries/Out
None
Head Coach
Joe Mazzulla
Sixers Reserves
Mo Bamba
Ricky Council IV
Kelly Oubre, Jr
Darius Bazley
Kyle Lowry
De'Anthony Melton
Cameron Payne
Two Way Players
Kenneth Lofton, Jr
Terquavion Smith
Injuries/Out
Robert Covington (knee) out
Joel Embiid (knee) out
KJ Martin (ankle) questionable
Head Coach
Nick Nurse
Game Notes
The Philadelphia 76ers visit the Celtics for the 4th and final meeting this season. The 76ers won the first meeting in Philadelphia 106-103 on November 8. Boston won the second meeting in Philadelphia 117-107 on November 15. The Celtics also won in Boston 125-119 on 12/1. 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.
Last season, the Celtics won the series 3-1, winning both times in Boston and once in Philadelphia. The Celtics also beat the 76ers 4-3 in the second round of the playoffs last season. 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 Celtics have a 269-196 record overall all time against the 76ers. They are 156-55 on the road against the 76ers all time.
The Celtics are 1st in the East, 7.5 games ahead of 2nd place Cleveland, 8.5 games ahead of 3rd place Milwaukee, 11 games ahead of 4th place New York, 12 games ahead of 5th place Philadelphia and 12.5 games ahead of 6th place Indiana. They are 26-3 at home and 9-1 in their last 10 games. They are 32-6 against Eastern Conference teams and 14-1 against Atlantic Division foes. They have won their last 8 games.
The 76ers are 5th in the East, 12 games behind first place Boston, 1 game behind 4th place New York, and 3.5 games behind 3rd place Milwaukee. They are half a game ahead of 6th place Indiana, 1.5 games ahead of 7th place Miami and 8th place Orlando. They are 15-11 on the road and 3-7 in their last 10 games. They are 22-16 against Eastern Conference teams and 5-5 against the Atlantic Division. They are comiing off a loss in their last game.
The Celtics are coming off a 2-0 road trip where they beat the Bulls and Knicks. This is the first game of a 3 game home stand. After Philadelphia, the Celtics will face Dallas and Golden State. After that, they go on a 5 game road trip that will take them through Cleveland, Denver, Phoenix, Portland, and Utah. They will return from that trip to face the Suns for the second time.
The 76ers are coming off a 1-3 home stand. They lost to Miami, New York and Milwaukee and beat Cleveland. After this game at Boston, they will face Charlotte at home and then will head out on the road to take on Dallas and Brooklyn and then they will face Memphis and New Orleans at home. They will then play at New York for 2 games in a row and one game at Milwaukee.
The Celtics still have a clean injury list and have, in fact added a player by recalling Jordan Walsh from the G-League. For Philadelphia, Joel Embiid remains out after having a procedure on his meniscus in early February. Robert Covington is out and hasn't played since 12/30 due to a bone bruise on his knee. KJ Martin is questionable with a right ankle impingement.
Key Matchups
vs Jrue Holiday vs Tyrese Maxey
Maxey has blossomed now that he has the keys to the team and James Harden has headed for the west coast. He is now their best player with Embiid sidelined. Maxey is averaging 25.8 points, 3.8 rebounds, 6.4 assists and 1.0 steals per game. He is shooting 44.9% from the field and 37.8% from beyond the arc. Against the Celtics this season, he averaged 22.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 4.5 assists. He is very quick and difficult to stay with in the open court. The 76ers are 5th in the league in fast break points and Maxey's speed is one of the reasons why.
vs Jayson Tatum vs Tobias Harris
Harris is averaging 17.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.o steals per game. He is shooting 50.3% from the field and 34.7% from beyond the arc. Against the Celtics this season, Harris averaged 15.7 points, 7 rebounds, 3.4 assist and 1.3 steals. Harris will also have his hands full trying to slow Jayson Tatum down.
Honorable Mention
Derrick White vs Buddy Hield
Hield came over from Indiana at the trade deadline and gives the 76ers another good scorer. He is averaging 12.7 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game. He is shooting 44.8% from the field and 39.2% from beyond the arc. Against the Celtics this season, he averaged 14 points, 3.6 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.4 steals per game. The Celtics need to especially defend him on the perimeter.
Keys to the Game
Defense - Defense will always be key to winning every game. The Celtics are 3rd in the league with a defensive rating of 110.7. The 76ers are 12th with a defensive rating of 114.0. The 76ers are 12th in the league, averaging 117.3 points per game. The Celtics are 5th, averaging 120.7 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.
Rebound - Rebounding is second to defense as a key to winning. The Celtics are 1st in the league, pulling down 46.9 rebounds per game while the 76ers are 19th with 43.2 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 need to keep the 76ers from getting extra points around the basket as they are 7th with 15.3 second chance points per game. 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.
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 17.5 points off turnovers per game.
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 can't let the 76ers build a lead and they can't let up if they can build a lead themselves. The Celtics at times tend to play down to teams missing a star but they can't do that with these 76ers because they still have enough talent to beat them if they give less than 100% effort. They have to play hard from the opening tip until the final buzzer with no let up.
X-Factors
Home Game - The Celtics have been a good home team with just 3 losses at home so far this season. The 76ers are 15-11 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.
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.
