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The Philadelphia 76ers kick off their four-game road trip and visit TD Garden to take on the Boston Celtics on Wednesday. The two teams are quite similar and evenly matched heading into this game. Both teams have a 10-11 record and have split their last four games. The 76ers are incredible on offense but questionable defensively, while the Celtics have great defense but have struggled offensively.
This is the first meeting between the Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics this season, and the divisional rivals will face each other three more times.
Match Details
Fixture - Philadelphia 76ers vs Boston Celtics | NBA Season 2021-22.
Date & Time - Wednesday, December 1st, 2021; 730 PM ET (Thursday, December 2nd; 6:00 AM IST).
Venue - TD Garden, Boston, MA.
Philadelphia 76ers Preview
The Philadelphia 76ers will take a few games to get back into rhythm. Joel Embiid and Tobias Harris have finally returned to the lineup, but they still don't look like the dominant team they were last season.
Embiid dropped 42 points against the Minnesota Timberwolves, but Philadelphia still lost the game in double-overtime. The 76ers offense is rated eighth in the league, but they are 21st in defensive rating.
They are especially suffering from lackluster perimeter defense because of the absence of Ben Simmons, who was a Defensive Player of the Year candidate last season.
The Philadelphia 76ers are 11th in 3-pointers allowed and 23rd in opponent 3-point percentage. Coach Doc Rivers has done a fantastic job running the offense with Tyrese Maxey in his starters' absence, but the entire team will need to log minutes together to get some momentum and chemistry again.
Key Player - Joel Embiid
If the Philadelphia 76ers intend to get back into title contention, Joel Embiid will need to get rback into the MVP discussion. Returning from COVID-19 hasn't been easy on the Cameroonian big man. He has played just 11 games so far while averaging 22.8 points, 10.3 rebounds, 4.0 assists (career-high) and 1.5 blocks per game.
The 76ers offense revolves around Embiid and his dominance in the paint, so the Philadelphia faithful have a lot of expectations from their MVP moving forward.
Philadelphia 76ers Predicted Lineup
G - Tyrese Maxey | G - Seth Curry | F - Danny Green | F - Tobias Harris | C - Joel Embiid.
Boston Celtics Preview
The Boston Celtics haven't looked like a playoff team this season. Through their first 21 games, they haven't had a winning or losing streak longer than three games.
The Celtics haven't completely adjusted to new coach Ime Udoka, and their offensive rhythm is haywire. They are 20th in the league in offensive rating despite having three former All-Stars in Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Al Horford.
However, their defense has been a revelation as it is an area they struggled in last season. They are sixth in defensive rating and have managed to keep their opponents to under 105 points in eight of their last nine games.
Marcus Smart has been incredible for the team so far. He is averaging 11.2 points and 4.1 rebounds per game including a career-high 5.7 assists and 2.1 steals a night.
Key Player - Jayson Tatum
Jayson Tatum needs to improve his game or else the Boston Celtics won't be able to win enough games.
Although Tatum is averaging 24.3 ppg, he is doing so on poor efficiency. He is shooting just 39% from the field, including 31% from 3-point range, and is knocking down just 80% of his free throws, all career-lows. Moreover, his shot selection and tendency to play hero-ball in clutch situations has been a problem for the team lately.
Boston Celtics Predicted Lineup
G - Marcus Smart | G - Jaylen Brown | F - Jayson Tatum | F - Grant Williams | C - Al Horford.
76ers vs Celtics Match Prediction
The Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics are quite evenly matched, and this game could go in either direction. Both teams are coming off victories and have momentum on their side. However, the Boston Celtics do appear to be slight favorites, because they will have homecourt advantage and have also had an extra day of rest compared to the Philadelphia 76ers.
Where to watch the 76ers vs Celtics game?
The matchup between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Boston Celtics will be broadcast nationally on NBATV and also have local coverage on NBC Sports Boston and NBC Sports Philadelphia. The game can also be live-streamed with an NBA League Pass.
Moreover, fans can tune in to the radio at 98.5 The Sports Hub and 97.5 The Fanatic to listen to the live commentary.
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