The Boston Celtics will resume NBA duty this week when they travel to the Wells Fargo Center to take on the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday.
The Sixers are 20-34 and are placed 11th in the Eastern Conference, while the Celtics are 39-16 and second in the conference standings behind the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Match preview
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The Philadelphia 76ers have been one of the biggest disappointments in the NBA this season and are now hoping to avoid a sixth straight defeat after going down 100-96 to the Brooklyn Nets ahead of the NBA All-Star weekend.
Quentin Grimes and Kelly Oubre Jr both notched up 30 points apiece and combined for 12 rebounds, but Justin Edwards was the only other Philly player to record double-digits, while Paul George had a tough outing, putting up just two points in 37 minutes.
Nick Nurse's side are now 3-7 in their last 10 and 14 games under 500 with time running out for them to make the postseason, but due to other teams also struggling with mediocre performances, they are still in contention to make the playoffs.
One of the major contributing factors to the 76ers' dip this season has been the ongoing injuries suffered by Joel Embiid which have kept him off the court for large periods, and his absence has been felt particularly on defence.
The Sixers are inside the bottom five for points scored per game this season (109.1 PPG) and are ranked 15th on the defensive end, allowing 112.9 PPG, while possessing the second-worst cover rate of 36.5% (19-33-2 ATS).
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Meanwhile, after a slight dip in form toward the end of last year, the Boston Celtics are heating back up nicely, 8-2 in their last 10, and gunning a fourth straight win after beating the Spurs 116-103 in their last outing.
All-Star Jayson Tatum once again led the team with 32 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists, Kristaps Porzingis continued to be a menace inside the paint with 29 points, while Derrick White chipped in with 19 points and nine assists.
The C's exploded out the blocks in that match, putting up 37 points in the first quarter before taking a 19-point advantage into the break, which allowed them to step off the gas in the final quarter.
Given Boston's lack of moves while other teams were making blockbuster trades at the start of the year, it seems that Joe Mazzulla has a plan in place, and so far, it has paid off with the team firing on all cylinders.
The Celtics are ranked in the top five on both ends this season, averaging 117.2 points per game and allowing 108.1 PPG, though given the massive lines they are being thrown on a nightly basis, their ATS record is fairly poor at 42.6% (23-31-1 ATS).
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Team News
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Having missed the last match and the NBA All-Star weekend, Embiid is likely to feature for the Sixers in this one, though it is still unclear how many minutes the big man can get through as the team continues to manage his workload.
Aside from Embiid, Philadelphia are likely to be missing two key veterans in Kyle Lowry and Eric Gordon, while Jared McCain is questionable owing to a knee injury and David Roddy is on G League assignment.
Jaylen Brown was forced to sit out the victory over the Spurs due to a knee issue but he is expected to return to the Celtics squad for this match having had over a week's rest since his last outing.
Torrey Craig was listed as questionable in the last match but was cleared fit ahead of tip-off, though Jrue Holiday is likely to remain sidelined as he continues his recovery from a shoulder injury.
Philadelphia 76ers possible starting five:
Oubre Jr, George, Embiid, Grimes, Edwards
Boston Celtics possible starting five:
Tatum, Pritchard, Porzingis, White, Hauser
We say: Boston Celtics to win by 5+ points
While the 76ers are likely to have Embiid back for this match, the big man has been some way off his best this season and will not find it easy facing a red-hot Boston side.
The Celtics are playing their best ball of the season lately, and having had the chance to recharge over the All-Star break, we feel they will be too good for the hosts in this one.
Devesh Jaganath
