Gameday Preview: Celtics Look for Revenge vs. Sixers
Jesse D. Garrabrant | NBAE via Getty Images
Friday night, the Celtics will be back in action against the Philadelphia 76ers. They’ll be looking to avenge Wednesday night’s tough 117-109 loss.
Philadelphia is coming into Friday’s game as the best team in the East, well in terms of record. The Sixers are 10-5 which is good enough to give them a one-game lead over the C’s. They’re also a league-best 8-1 at home this season, which is pretty impressive without fans. Joel Embiid is having an MVP level year so far averaging 26.3 points, 11.4 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks per game. He also lit the Celtics up for 42 points Wednesday night, though 17 of those came from the free-throw line. Philadelphia’s own Cowardly Lion, Ben Simmons, is hovering around averaging a triple-double with 12.2 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 8.0 assists per game this season.
Boston is now on a two-game skid following Wednesday’s loss. They’re still without Jayson Tatum and it’s been showing in the offense. They had a nightmare game Sunday against the New York Knicks, finishing with just 75 points, and although they figured things out a bit more on Wednesday, there was still plenty left to be desired. There were times where the C’s would struggle immensely to score, especially when it mattered. This became most clear when they scored just 17 points in the fourth quarter, allowing Philly to secure the win.
If the Celtics want to get back into the win column on Friday they’re going to have to contain Embiid. The aforementioned 42 points were an absolute backbreaker. He was doing it all - post-ups, three-pointers, and of course free throws. Tristan Thompson is going to have to do a better job of guarding the big man for Boston to be able to grab the win. Embiid was getting wherever he wanted and that included into the win column. The Celtics are also going to have to fix the scoring issue. They were solid for the first three quarters, but 17 points in the fourth is just unacceptable.
You can catch Friday’s game at 7:30 p.m. on NBC Sports Boston and ESPN.
Don’t forget to tune into the Banner Town Build Up LIVE on Guy Boston Sports Twitter and YouTube.
