The Philadelphia 76ers got back on track on Monday when they knocked off the Oklahoma City Thunder at home to snap a frustrating four-game losing skid. It was a much needed and important win for them, but it came at a hefty price as superstar big man Joel Embiid suffered a dislocated finger in the contest which will cause him to miss Thursday’s contest.
Their opponent is the rival Boston Celtics who the Sixers have taken the first two meetings from to begin their season series. They will be playing on the second night of a back-to-back after a loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday night so the Sixers will have a rest advantage in this one.
With that said, it’s time for the guide to this big rival showdown:
How to watch Sixers vs. Celtics
- Date: Thursday, January 9
- Time: 7:00 p.m. EST
- Location: Wells Fargo Center Philadelphia, PA
- TV: TNT, NBC Sports Philadelphia
Injury Report
- Sixers: OUT: Joel Embiid(left ring finger) PROBABLE: Matisse Thybulle(right knee sprain)
- Celtics: NOT YET SUBMITTED
Storylines
Sixers prepared for Embiid absence
Not that the Sixers want to have Embiid not play, he is their best player after all, but they are prepared to go to battle without him even if the injury holds him out long term. Coach Brett Brown has thought about it and he is ready and playing it safe just in case.
“To think that I’m not thinking longer, whenever the news comes out, would be disingenuous,” said coach Brett Brown. “You have to think ‘Now what does this mean?’ and because we have sort of rare air in that we actually have practice, you want to take advantage of some things. If you tilted the priorities of weight, it certainly was driven toward trying to beat Boston, but I would be lying if you didn’t do some things in the event that you receive news.”
Sixers want Burke in an Iverson role
Trey Burke has modeled his game after Sixers great and basketball Hall of Famer Allen Iverson and now, the Sixers want to use him in that type of role. Iverson was a small 2 guard next to Eric Snow in his heyday and Burke is a small guard the Sixers plan to use at the 2 next to Ben Simmons along with Josh Richardson. The plan is to allow Burke to be able to create for himself and focus on just scoring.
“So with Trey when he’s playing with Ben, I want him thinking like AI, score,” Brown added. “I bring him off pick-and-rolls, we run kick aheads, we’re playing downhill, and he’s like lightning in a bottle. So the AI example that I use with Trey is mostly out of that environment where he’s at a 2 and he’s just looking to come in and create and score.”
Prediction
This will not be an easy game without Embiid. The Sixers will slide Al Horford back over to the center position and have him run things from there and Philadelphia is expected to have Matisse Thybulle return from injury, but the Celtics are no pushover. They are coming off a tough loss and will be wanting to bounce back and will have motivation. The Sixers could use a big game from Simmons in this one.
Pick: Sixers at home, they’re just a different team in South Philadelphia
Sixers vs. Celtics season series
Game 1 October 23: 107-93 Sixers
Game 2 December 12: 115-109 Sixers
Game 3 January 9:
Game 4 February 1:
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