On Wednesday night, the Philadelphia 76ers will play the Celtics for a game between the Eastern Conference’s third and first seed.
Philadelphia is currently the third seed, and was as high as the two seed recently. Going 2-2 in their last four games after a seven-game win streak has slowed them down a little, but the 76ers have been surging since December.
Doc Rivers’ squad is coming off a loss to the Knicks, where the bench allowed New York to get back in the game multiple times despite the starters playing well.
Boston has been at the top of the conference all season, continuing their success from their Finals run last year.
The Celtics have a little bit of everything on their squad, boasting two star players who do it all, valuable shooting and defending role players and a good coach.
Here are a few things to watch for on Wednesday night.
The last time these two squads met, it was Opening Night of the 2022-23 NBA season.
It’s probably fair to say that things have changed since then.
For Boston, they were then going into their first game since losing the NBA Finals, amid drama off the court after head coach Ime Udoka was suspended by the team.
The Celtics were also without center Robert Williams, who has become a strong rebounder and shot blocker in his young career.
For Philadelphia, it was the first game for a few new faces like PJ Tucker, Montrezl Harrell and De’Anthony Melton.
The Celtics came away with the win, 126-117, and got 35 points from both Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. James Harden had 35 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists in the loss.
Since then, it is clear that both teams are in title contention and will be fighting for the Eastern Conference’s top spots.
Both of these teams will be fighting for home-court advantage throughout the playoffs.
The Celtics are much more battle-tested for the postseason after last years’ run. Meanwhile, the 76ers haven’t gotten past the second round in Joel Embiid’s career.
This year, the Eastern Conference seems to be coming down to Boston, Milwaukee and Philadelphia. This game will not only be important for the standings, but also to see which team might win this matchup in a seven game playoff series.
Embiid has famously admitted that there is no real rivalry between the two teams, because Boston always wins. If that is going to change, Wednesday’s game would be a part of it.
There are plenty of stars to pick from on these two teams. Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Harden for the 76ers. Tatum and Brown for the Celtics, who are both All-Stars this year.
While Embiid vs. the Celtics big men, Williams and Al Horford, is always a good matchup, Brown and Harden are a huge part of their respective squads’ offensive engine.
Brown has become a true three-level scorer, using his frame and athleticism to get to the rim and perfecting his outside game. Harden orchestrates the Sixers’ offense, averaging 10.9 assists per game to go along with his scoring.
Whoever wins this game will likely have a bigger performance from their player. Either way though, the Sixers and Celtics in TD Garden is always a great game.
Stay tuned for more breaking NBA content, including trades, contract updates and more news from every team.
Featured photo courtesy of Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images
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