Celtics (5-1) at 76ers (5-1) Game #7 11/8/23

[FLCeltsFan]

  at 
Boston Celtics (5-1) at Philadelphia 76ers (5-1)
Wednesday, November 8, 2023
7:00 PM ET
Regular Season Game #7  Road Game #5
TV: NBCSB,  NBCSP,  NBA-LP
Radio:  98.5 The Sports Hub, 97.5 The Fanatic
Wells Fargo Center


Probable Starting Matchups
Point Guard
vs
Jrue Holiday vs Tyrese Maxey

Shooting Guard
vs
Derrick White vs DeAnthony Melton

Small Forward
vs
Jaylen Brown vs Kelly Oubre, Jr

Poward Forward
vs
Jayson Tatum vs Tobias Harris

Center
vs
Kristaps Porzingis vs Joel Embiid


Celtics Reserves
Celtics Reserves
Delano Banton
Oshae Brissett
Sam Hauser
Al Horford
Luke Kornet
Svi Mykhailiuk
Payton Pritchard
Lamar Stevens
Jordan Walsh

2 Way Players
JD Davison
Nathan Knight
Neemias Queta

Injuries/Out
Neemias Queta (foot)  out
Derrick White (personal) probable

Head Coach
Joe Mazzulla


Sixers Reserves
Mo Bamba
Nicolas Batum
Patrick Beverley
Ricky Council IV
Robert Covington
Danuel House, Jr
Furkan Korkmaz
KJ Martin
Marcus Morris, Sr
Paul Reed
Jaden Springer

Two Way Players
Javonte Smart
Terquavion Smith

Injuries/Out
None

Head Coach
Nick Nurse

Game Notes
The Celtics visit the Philadelphia 76ers for the first of 4 meetings this season. They will meet again in Philadelphia on November 15 at Philadelphia.  They will meet twice more in Boston on December 1 and February 27.  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 112-141 on the road against the 76ers all time. 

This is the 3rd and final game of a 3 game road trip for the Celtics.  They will then return home for 3 games including their first In Season Tournament game against the Nets on Friday.  The 76ers are playing in the final game of a 5 game home stand.  They lost their first game on the road to Milwaukee and then they won their last 5 games with 4 of them at home. 

Two Way Player Neemias Queta remains out with a foot injury.  Derrick White missed the last two games for the birth of his second child.  He is listed as probable for this game and the Celtics can definitely use him in this one.  If he misses his third straight game,  Al Horford will likely get the start once more.  The 76ers have no one on their injury report at this time. 

Key Matchups
vs
Kristaps Porzingis vs Joel Embiid 
Joel Embiid is the reigning MVP and has picked up where he left off last season.  He is averaging 32.5 points, 11.0 rebounds 6.1 assists and 2 blocks per game.  He is shooting 53.5% from the field and 42.9% from beyond the arc.  He is coming off a game where he scored 48 points, with 29 coming in the 3rd quarter.  He is very a very tough matchup for anyone and the Celtics will have their hands full trying to keep him from having another big game. 

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.  Maxey is averaging 25.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 7.3 assists per game.   He is shooting 50% from the field and 44.2% from beyond the arc.   He is very quick and difficult to stay with in the open court. 

Honorable Mention
Jayson Tatum vs Tobias Harris
Harris is averaging 19.7 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.3 steals per game.  He is shooting 63.2% from the field and 40% from beyond the arc.  Harris will also have his hands full trying to slow Jayson Tatum down, who was named player of the week for the Eastern Conference. 

Keys to the Game
Defense -  Defense will always be key to winning every game.  The Celtics learned this the hard way when they went against the #1 defense in the league on Monday.  The Celtics are 4th in the league with a defensive rating of 105.4.   The 76ers are 5th with a defensive rating of 107.3.   The Celtics have said that they want to have a defensive identity this season and they have been defending well,  but they need to increase their efforts on that 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 50.7 rebounds per game while the 76ers are 8th with 45.7 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 Sixers from getting extra points around the basket and they 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.   

Bench Play -  The Celtics bench has been underwhelming so far in most of their games.  They have players like Sam Hauser, Payton Pritchard and Svi Mykhailiuk who are very good scorers but they haven't been consistent this season.  In their loss to the Timberwolves, the Celtics got just 16 points from the bench with just Sam Hauser and Luke Kornet scoring.  On the other hand, the 76ers got 41 points from their reserves in their win over the Wizards.  The Celtics must get more consistent production from their bench players. 

Play Hard 48 Minutes - The Celtics have to start out strong and play hard for 48 minutes, right up until the final buzzer.  There have been several teams that have come back from big deficits already this season.  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.

Stay Focused - The Celtics need to stay focused on playing the game the right way.  The Celtics have to stay focused on taking and making good shots and that includes going to the basket if their 3's aren't falling.   They have to be focused on making crisp passes and not get sloppy because the 76ers average 19 points off turnovers.  The Celtics have to keep their focus on playing hard and on playing as a team without any hero ball.  They must stay focused on their defensive assignments and not allow the 76ers easy baskets. 

X-Factors
On the Road - The Celtics will be on the road and facing a very hostile crowd.  Philly fans hate the Celtics because they have pretty much owned them in recent years.  They hate Al Horford because he didn't live up to their expectations in Philly.  They hate Jayson Tatum because the Celtics took him with Philly's pick after the 76ers traded up to take Markelle Fultz. There will likely be a lot of boos and the Celtics need to play through them.  They also need to ignore the distractions of travel and hotel living, and an unfamiliar court and just go out and play Celtics basketball. 

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.  They especially need to keep their poise and not complain to the refs on every call. 

 

[RMO]

Let's get this!

[FLCeltsFan]

TP to  RMO   for being the first to post in the game thread!!!!!!

GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Celtics!!!

Beat the 76ers!!!!!!!!

[Who]

Fun matchup. Looking forward to this.

[SparzWizard]

The 76ers are more competent now with Nick Nurse than they were with Brett Brown and Doc Rivers

[Who]

I like this Philly lineup with Melton and Oubre. Much more quickness and athleticism than last year's crew.

Last year's team was at a speed disadvantage at 4 out of 5 positions. At SG with Harden, at SF with T Harris, at PF with PJ Tucker, at C with Embiid. The only player with plus speed was Maxey.

This group has plus speed at PG with Maxey, at SG with Melton, at SF with Oubre, at PF with Harris. This is what you want next to a physically dominant interior five like Embiid. You want to surround him with speed and mobility. Both offensively and defensively.

Defensively to pressure, force turnovers, create transition opportunities, funnel to the shot-blocker. Offensively to create off-ball movement so teams cannot just load up on the big fella. Trigger attacks from different angles.

[Silas]

 This game will be a rough and tumble match.  Cs need to get back to winning games.

[Neurotic Guy]

Exciting early season matchup. Sixers looking reborn with the Harden anchor lifted. Will be good to see how the Cs play Embiid. Maxey will undoubtedly annoy me.   Will be fantastic to have DW back - I wish I could say a well-rested DW but, well, many of us have been there.  Great to have mid-week excitement!

[dannyboy35]

  I’m really impressed with the way the Sixers look . I didn’t think think Maxey was going to be this level of player. Excited to have Jrue and White back together in the backcourt and see who/ if anyone can contribute outside of our top 6.

[A Future of Stevens]

I have only watched about 30 minutes of Sixers this year. They were playing hard, and I don't know if it is an anti Harden sentiment. It will be interesting to see how the year progresses.

I can't wait to see us match up against them. We have 2 elite defenders to throw at Maxey, two above average wing defenders to throw at Harris. Embiid poses problems for everyone, but we also have a 7'3 sniper to pull him out of the paint on the other end.

Go Celtics!

[Surferdad]

Not only is the Harden "black hole" gone but Sixers are now a deeper team. Bench includes Bamba, Batum, Beverly Covington, Korkmaz...clearly superior to the C's bench.

[Donoghus]

Litmus test game.

[radiohead]

This is gonna be a nice match up. Will Al get major minutes to defend Embiid?

[SparzWizard]

Not only is the Harden "black hole" gone but Sixers are now a deeper team. Bench includes Bamba, Batum, Beverly Covington, Korkmaz...clearly superior to the C's bench.

After years and decades of clowning on the 76ers, this may be the year where I can start taking them seriously. They look poised and dangerous under new coaching and no more knuckleheads on their team.

This may very well be a preview to the Eastern Conference Finals. Yes that's right, Celtics vs 76ers in the Final Four.

[Atzar]

As always, the goal is to tire Embiid out.  Make him spend the whole game trying to keep up with drives and picks and cuts, drag him out to the perimeter if Philly lets us.  A fresh Embiid will run over any defensive personnel we throw at him.  A tired Embiid is much less of a threat. 

Philly brings a lot of defense off the bench, and I'm a little concerned about that in conjunction with our lack of bench scoring.  Minutes without Tatum are key.  Having White back will help us stagger our starters' minutes more effectively, but Pritchard MUST start taking and hitting shots for us.