Celtics (5-6) at 76ers (6-4) Game #12 11/11/25

[FLCeltsFan]

  at 
Boston Celtics (5-6) at Philadelphia 76ers (6-4)
Tuesday, November 11, 2025
8:00 PM ET
Regular Season Game #12  Road Game #7
TV: Peacock/NBC
Radio:  98.5 The Sports Hub, 97.5 The Fanatic, Sirius XM
Xfinity Mobile Arena 


Probable Starting Matchups
Point Guard
vs
Derrick White vs Tyrese Maxey

Shooting Guard
vs
Payton Pritchard vs VJ Edgecombe

Small Forward
vs
Jaylen Brown vs Trendon Watford

Poward Forward
vs
Josh Minott vs Kelly Oubre, Jr

Center
vs
Neemias Queta vs Joel Embiid 


Celtics Reserves
Anfernee Simons
Chris Boucher
Xavier Tillman
Jordan Walsh
Hugo Gonzalez
Luka Garza
Baylon Scheierman

2-Way Players
Ron Harper, Jr
Max Shulga
Amari Williams

Injuries/Out
Jayson Tatum (Achilles) out
Sam Hauser (wrist) probable

Head Coach
Joe Mazzulla 

76ers Reserves
Johni Broome
Andre Drummond
Justin Edwards
Eric Gordon
Quentin Grimes
Kyle Lowry
Igor Milicic, Jr


2-Way Players
Dominick Barlow
Hunter Sallis
Jabari Walker

Injuries/Out
Paul George (knee) out
Johni Broome (ankle) out
Dominick Barlow (elbow) out

Head Coach
Nick Nurse

Game Notes 
The Celtics travel to Philadelphia to take on the 76ers for the third of 4 games this season.  They played in Boston in the first game of the season that Philly won 117-116. The Celtics evened the series with a 109-108 win on October 31 at Philadelphia.  They will play the final game in Boston on March 1.  The Celtics are playing in their 3rd back to back set this season.  They are 1-1 so are in the first of back to back games. 

The Celtics beat the 76ers 3-1 last season and they were also 3-1 against the 76ers in the 2023-24 season.  The 76ers tanked hard the last part of last season and finished 24-58 to get the 3rd pick in the draft.  The Celtics finished with a 61-21 record last season.  The Celtics are 276-198 overall all time and they are 94-128 all time in Philadelphia. 

The 76ers started the season 4-0.  They are now 6-4.  The Celtics gave them their first loss on October 31. They have lost 3 of their last 4 games and are coming off a 111-108 loss to the Pistons on Sunday.  The 76ers are 7th in the East and are in the first play in spot.  The Celtics are the 10th seed and in the final play in spot. 

The 76ers haven't changed much since last season.  They added Trendon Watford as a free agent.  They also added Igor Milicic, Jr, who went undrafted in this year's draft.  They added VJ Edgecombe with the 3rd pick in the draft and Johni Broome with the 35th pick in the draft.   They lost Guerschon Yabusele, Jared Butler, and Ricky Council IV. The 76ers have a veteran core and an exciting lottery pick and if they can stay healthy, they could be a good team this season.

After this game at  Philadelphia the Celtics will return home to face Memphis on Wednesday and have 3 days off before hosting the LA Clippers on Sunday.  Then it is one game on the road at Brooklyn before playing Brooklyn, Orlando, and Detroit at home. The home game against Brooklyn will also be an Emerates NBA Cup game.

After this game, the 76ers will play at Detroit and then home against the LA Clippers and Toronto.  Following those 2 games at home, they will play at Milwaukee before 2 more home games against Miami and Orlando.  Then it's at Brooklyn and back home against Atlanta, Washington and Golden State. 

Jayson Tatum remains out for the Celtics as he continues to rehab from the torn Achilles he suffered in the playoffs.  Sam Hauser joins him on the injury list with a wrist sprain but Hauser is listed as probable.  For the 76ers, Paul George (knee), Johni Broome (ankle) and Dominick Barlow (elbow) are all listed as out. 

Key Matchups
vs
Derrick White vs Tyrese Maxey
Maxey is averaging 33.2 points, 4.9 rebounds, 8.2 assists 1.0 block and 1.2 steals per game while shooting 47.0% from the field and 44.1% from beyond the arc.  In the first 2 games against the Celtics, he averaged 33 points, 5 rebounds, 10 assists, 2 steals and 1.5 block while shooting 52.5% from the field and 61.1% from beyond the arc.  He is quick and shoots the ball well and so the Celtics will have their hands full defending him but they must make it a priority to slow him down. 

vs
Payton Pritchard vs VJ Edgecombe
Edgecombe is one of the leaders for Rookie of the Year.  He is averaging 16.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.5 steals per game while shooting 42.7% from the field and 36.5% from beyond the arc.  In the first 2 games against the Celtics, he averaged 25.5 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists while shooting 54.1% from the field and 41.2% from beyond the arc.  The Celtics need to be ready for him and defend him better in this game.

Honorable Mention
Neemias Queta vs Joel Embiid
Embiid is averaging 19.7 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.5 blocks per game while shooting 46% from the field and 32.1% from beyond the arc.  Against the Celtics, he averaged 12 points, 6 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.5 block while shooting 31.8% from the field and 16.7% from beyond the arc.  Hopefully the Celtics can limit him again in this game.

Keys to the Game
Defense - As always, defense is a key to winning this, and every, game.  The Celtics were second in the preseason with a defensive rating of 100.2.  They have slipped to 13th with a defensive rating of 113.8.  The 76ers are 22nd with a defensive rating of 116.1.  The Celtics must play tough lock down defense in this game if they want to beat the 76ers. 

Rebound -  Rebounding may be the biggest key to winning right now since the Celtics lost their first 3 games largely because they weren't able to rebound.  The Celtics are 1-5 in games that they are out-rebounded. They simply have to fight harder to grab rebounds than their opponents.  Much of rebounding is effort as evidenced by Payton Pritchard grabbing 10 rebounds against the Pistons and averaging almost 4 rebounds per game.  Every Celtic has got to crash the boards and fight for every rebound.   

Effort and Pace -  I've already mentioned that the Celtics need to put out more effort on the boards but they have to play with more effort overall for all 4 quarters.  In their 5 wins, the Celtics played harder and with more energy than their opponents.  That has to be their identity this season.  They have to play harder on defense and they have to rebound harder.  They also need to play faster and run in order to get easier shots before the defense sets up.  The Celtics are 29th with a pace of 97.00.  The 76ers are 18th with a pace of 100.95. 

Offensive Execution -  The Celtics are 27th in the league, shooting just 32.7% from beyond the arc.  It's not just one Celtic who is struggling to hit their 3's,  it is almost everyone on the team. Pritchard and Simons appear to be breaking out of their slumps and White hit a big 3 at the end of Sunday's game.  But, if they struggle early in the game, they need to score in the midrange or in the paint and not continue to brick 3's the entire game.

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 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 have to shake off the distractions of playing in their 3rd straight road game and stay focused on playing good basketball. 

Officiating - Officiating is always an x-factor.  Just ask Jaylen Brown if you don't believe that.  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. 

 

[Boston Garden Leprechaun]

GO CELTICS!

[FLCeltsFan]

TP to  Boston Garden Leprechaun    for being the first to post in the game thread!!!!!!

GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Celtics!!!!!

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

[Boston Garden Leprechaun]

and have a TP for the great work you have done over the years here.

[hwangjini_1]

another game thread means another win for the celtics!! thanks flc and a tp as ever for your great work.

celtics beat them once and should have beat them twice. third time is a charm and celtics win this one...again.

goooooooooooooooooooooooooo celtics!! 

[Phantom255x]

Jesus do we play the Sixers 20 times this season? Feels like it 

[Neurotic Guy]

Looking forward to another Celtics game.  This team is creating an identity as a scrappy high energy team with some explosive scoring ability.  No question they lack size and overall talent to make big noise as is, but I reject the idea that this is an awful team. Far from perfect and not close to being a contender - but hard-working, fun to watch, and so far, competitive. 

Go Celtics!

[hwangjini_1]

Looking forward to another Celtics game.  This team is creating an identity as a scrappy high energy team with some explosive scoring ability.  No question they lack size and overall talent to make big noise as is, but I reject the idea that this is an awful team. Far from perfect and not close to being a contender - but hard-working, fun to watch, and so far, competitive. 

Go Celtics!

what is also fun to watch are the youngsters. i had given up on walsh, but MAYBE he has turned a corner and can be a good 3 and D guy.

minott is my binky this year, so i have hopes he pans out into a good off the bench rotation player.

as for gonzalez, i suspect he will turn out the best of the three.

so, this season is fun in its own way.

[Neurotic Guy]

Looking forward to another Celtics game.  This team is creating an identity as a scrappy high energy team with some explosive scoring ability.  No question they lack size and overall talent to make big noise as is, but I reject the idea that this is an awful team. Far from perfect and not close to being a contender - but hard-working, fun to watch, and so far, competitive. 

Go Celtics!

what is also fun to watch are the youngsters. i had given up on walsh, but MAYBE he has turned a corner and can be a good 3 and D guy.

minott is my binky this year, so i have hopes he pans out into a good off the bench rotation player.

as for gonzalez, i suspect he will turn out the best of the three.

so, this season is fun in its own way.

Yes!! Love watching Minott, Hugo, Walsh, and Q.  Even enjoyed some Garza last game. 

And the Simons performance yesterday was magnificent.

[slamtheking]

TP for another great game thread FL

[celts55]

Looking forward to another Celtics game.  This team is creating an identity as a scrappy high energy team with some explosive scoring ability.  No question they lack size and overall talent to make big noise as is, but I reject the idea that this is an awful team. Far from perfect and not close to being a contender - but hard-working, fun to watch, and so far, competitive. 

Go Celtics!

what is also fun to watch are the youngsters. i had given up on walsh, but MAYBE he has turned a corner and can be a good 3 and D guy.

minott is my binky this year, so i have hopes he pans out into a good off the bench rotation player.

as for gonzalez, i suspect he will turn out the best of the three.

so, this season is fun in its own way.

Yes!! Love watching Minott, Hugo, Walsh, and Q.  Even enjoyed some Garza last game. 

And the Simons performance yesterday was magnificent.

Unfortunately Joe will probably sit half of these guys and play some others. It would be nice if he would stick with 9-10 players for a few weeks and see how they do

[Donoghus]

Let's start a win streak here.

[hwangjini_1]

celts 55, perhaps mazzulla is walking a thin line on whom to play in games? he wants to win games while simultaneously wanting to give time to youngesters and see who is part of the future. a tough balance to keep at times.

plus, this is game #12 of the season for a team that lost 3 starters and a key bench player. mazzulla is mixing and matching, i think, to see who can play with whom effectively. and specific match ups may dictate his line ups as well.

so for a while i can understand the "mad scientist" approach by mazzulla. let's see what everything looks like around games 20 to 25.

[Donoghus]

First game in the new City Editions.

[slamtheking]

celts 55, perhaps mazzulla is walking a thin line on whom to play in games? he wants to win games while simultaneously wanting to give time to youngesters and see who is part of the future. a tough balance to keep at times.

plus, this is game #12 of the season for a team that lost 3 starters and a key bench player. mazzulla is mixing and matching, i think, to see who can play with whom effectively. and specific match ups may dictate his line ups as well.

so for a while i can understand the "mad scientist" approach by mazzulla. let's see what everything looks like around games 20 to 25.

I think Joe's found his starting line-up for the season.  Now it's a matter of seeing who's effective coming off the bench.  I'm sure we'll still see everyone on the roster continue to get time through at least the halfway point and I think at that point he'll have figured out who can contribute both longterm as well as during the season and in which situations.  At least that's the hope.  he doesn't have the greatest track record for smart rotations but can hopefully figure out the players worth keeping next year.

right now, I'd say Tillman is the likely one gone.  Boucher probably 90%.  Everyone else is still in play although now I think Baylor's been passed by Walsh after the last couple of games so he may be part of the inevitable Simons trade package.