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The Philadelphia 76ers will return to their home court to take on the Boston Celtics on Wednesday. This will be the first of a two-game series between the Eastern Conference powerhouses and should be a back-and-forth battle until the final horn.
The 76ers had their most recent game against the OKC Thunder postponed due to contact tracing but have had no new reports of COVID-19 among their team and staff.
Match Details
Fixture: Boston Celtics vs. Philadelphia 76ers - NBA Season 2020-21
Date & Time: Wednesday, January 20th, 2021, 7 PM ET
Venue: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Boston Celtics Preview
The Boston Celtics were excited to see their star guard Kemba Walker make his season debut against the New York Knicks on Sunday. Unfortunately, Walker's return was just about the only exciting part of the Celtics' night.
The Boston Celtics struggled to find the basket all night and finished with a season-low in points on the way to a brutal 105-75 defeat.
Kemba Walker finished with 9 points and 5 turnovers and may need a few games to familiarize himself with the Celtics offensive flow.
The Celtics' star guard Jayson Tatum has yet to return from his 10-14 day quarantine, which started on January 9th. Meanwhile, Jaylen Brown has been improving his game, averaging 23.5 points over his last four games.
The Celtics have a strong team overall and await Tatum's return to get back to their best basketball.
Key Player - Jaylen Brown
Jaylen Brown has stepped up in Jayson Tatum's absence and scored 25 of the Boston Celtics' 75 points on Sunday against the Knicks. He has a wide range of abilities and can score from anywhere on the court.
This season, Jaylen Brown is averaging 25.8 points per game on an incredible 52% shooting. He will need to step up in Jayson Tatum's absence once again if the Celtics are going to win against the Philadelphia 76ers.
Boston Celtics Predicted Lineup
G Kemba Walker, G Jaylen Brown, F Grant Williams, F Daniel Theis, C Tristan Thompson
Philadelphia 76ers Preview
The Philadelphia 76ers saw their most recent game against the Oklahoma City Thunder postponed after it was revealed that a Memphis Grizzlies player returned a positive COVID-19 test.
The 76ers lost to the Grizzlies the previous night and would not have enough players to carry out the game due to contact tracing. They are currently 9-5 overall and hold the 3rd spot in the Eastern Conference.
With a healthy roster and a solid performance on Wednesday, the Philadelphia 76ers could surpass the Celtics in the Eastern Conference standings.
Key Player - Ben Simmons
The Philadelphia 76ers have gotten somewhat inconsistent play out of Ben Simmons thus far, and the league is starting to notice.
Simmons is averaging only 12.3 points while playing a team-high 33 minutes per game. Although he has been strong on the defensive end, his lack of scoring is raising eyebrows as he gets deeper into his fourth season in the league.
Ben Simmons is a terrific athlete, but his scoring ability is somewhat one-dimensional. He has attempted only five three-pointers this season, converting on one of the five.
If Simmons wants to silence the critics, he will need to improve his shooting percentages and continue to dominate on the defensive end. A big performance from Ben Simmons on Wednesday night could be the difference-maker in the game.
Philadelphia 76ers Predicted Lineup
G Ben Simmons, G Tyrese Maxey, F Danny Green, F Tobias Harris, C Joel Embiid
Celtics vs. 76ers Prediction
The Boston Celtics' struggles against the New York Knicks raised some concerns, but this is still a strong Celtics team that will return to full strength soon.
The Boston Celtics will need to contain the 76ers on the defensive end and have a much better night of shooting if they want to keep this game close.
The 76ers have been displaying inconsistencies of their own but, with a fully healthy roster, can compete with anyone in the league.
I predict a very good showing from the Philadelphia 76ers on the way to their 10th win of the season.
Where to watch Celtics vs. 76ers
The game will be broadcast live on ESPN.
