The Philadelphia 76ers are at home Thursday night, hosting the defending champion Boston Celtics. The Sixers are looking to make a final push toward the playoffs, as they are just a game and a half behind the Chicago Bulls for the final play-in spot. The Celtics, on the other hand, are comfortably in second place in the Eastern Conference, although they’re five and a half games behind the Cavaliers for the top spot.
Sixers game information
Who: Boston Celtics (39-16) at Philadelphia 76ers (20-34)
When: 7:00 p.m. EST
Where: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA
Watch: TNT
Latest on the Sixers
For the most part of the season, the Sixers have been playing shorthanded, and what should have been a tough start to the post-All-Star break looks to be more formal for the visiting Celtics. The Sixers will be missing Eric Gordon, Kyle Lowry, and Justin Edwards for the game, with Joel Embiid and Paul George both expected to play.
The Sixers desperately needed the All-Star break to give Embiid, George, and even Maxey some rest before the final push toward the playoffs. Tyrese Maxey has been playing close to 40 minutes per game over the past month, and despite being one of the top players in the league since the start of the new year, Maxey missed out on an All-Star invitation.
If the Sixers are going to make the playoffs and make some noise, they need Embiid, George, and Maxey to play the bulk of the remaining games together. Philadelphia will need a healthy Embiid who, despite what Daryl Morey has stated, may be headed toward another knee surgery in the next few months. If the team can keep their three stars on the court, they could be a problem for some of the higher teams that they’d play in the playoffs.
Latest on the Celtics
The Celtics arrive in Philadelphia as a healthy team that looks primed to defend its title this season. Despite sitting behind the Cavaliers in the standings, the Celtics have been mostly great this season. They’re on a three-game winning streak and are 8-2 over their last ten games.
The duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown has been among the best in the league. With last season’s championship run under their belts, they know what it takes to get where they want to be. Tatum has averaged 27.0 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 5.6 assists on the season, while Brown has given the squad 22.9 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game.
In addition to their two big stars, the team Kristaps Porzingis and Derrick White are to rely on before they even get into Jrue Holiday, Al Horford, Payton Pritchard, Sam Hauser, and Luke Kornet. The team is talented and features one of the top offenses and defenses in the league. They’ve returned the bulk of their championship roster and are looking to repeat this season.
What to watch for tonight
The Sixers have had the past week off, and that will definitely help George, Embiid, Maxey, and the rest of the squad, which has been playing through some tough games over the past month. The key for the Sixers is to have George and Embiid on the floor and playing well, which is something that they’ve not really been able to do this season.
Embiid, for his part, has played well but not up to the standards that he’s set over the past few years. The biggest problem is that he’s not been able to get on the floor. Between the knee issues, suspension, broken sinus, and foot, he’s been hardly available and not looking at all like himself when he plays. George, who’s played more than Embiid, hasn’t had an easy start to his Sixers career and needs to get on track if the Sixers are going to make the playoffs and fight toward a title.
The young players have really been the hit for the Sixers this year, with Tyrese Maxey leading the way and showing that he’s one of the top guards in the league. Jared McCain started off amazingly before being lost for the season with a knee injury.
In his absence, combined with the long list of other injuries the team has endured, players like Justin Edwards, Ricky Council IV, Adem Bona, and Guerschon Yabusele have shown that they all are capable of playing quality minutes in the league.
Look for the Sixers to be a little better tonight. They usually get hyped up for their games against the Celtics, and they’ll want to start off the final playoff push with a definitive statement against the defending champs.
Prediction
Sixers 117 – Celtics 109
