The Philadelphia 76ers host the Boston Celtics on Friday night to close out their 2026 preseason schedule. Head coach Nick Nurse plans to have all five starters see some action, but health is the priority this season, so expectations for extended minutes should be tempered.
The Celtics, who are undefeated this preseason, will likely take a similar approach. They know what their core players can do but may look to give them some additional minutes as they attempt to finish the preseason 4-0.
Who: Boston Celtics (3-0) at Philadelphia 76ers (1-2)
When: 7 p.m. ET
Where: Xfinity Mobile Arena, Philadelphia
Watch: NBC Sports Philadelphia, NBA TV and streaming options
This season looks to be the biggest for the Sixers since Allen Iverson led the team to the NBA Finals in 2001. The additions of Jaylen Brown and LeBron James would be enough for any team, but add Dean Wade, Anfernee Simons, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Labaron Philon, and the Sixers have completely retooled a roster that, for the most part, has lacked depth and talent over the past few years.
The starters should see a decent amount of playing time tonight, but nothing close to their regular-season workloads. This should be more about fine-tuning the group before the season opener against the Knicks.
With Tyrese Maxey, Jaylen Brown and VJ Edgecombe providing talent, speed and athleticism, the duo of LeBron James and Joel Embiid should have an easier time maneuvering this season as they battle age and health concerns.
Tonight should serve, as their game last week did, as another chance for LeBron to show what he can create for the rest of the offense. Embiid, for his part, should settle in closer to the basket and let the game come to him. If they can stick to their principles, the sky is the limit for this iteration of the Sixers.
With the starters getting some minutes, Nurse will have plenty of time to evaluate where Wade, Philon, Jabari Walker and Caldwell-Pope can make the most impact, while also assessing which fringe roster players could be assets to the team this season.
Having a healthy Jayson Tatum for a full season will help, but losing Brown in the trade for Paul George has to be significant for Boston.
The addition of Mitchell Robinson gives the Celtics a powerful post presence to complement the outside shooting they thrive on, but George could be either a hit or a miss.
As Sixers fans know all too well, George can be a very good player when he's on the floor, but he has to stay on the floor. Availability has been an issue later in his career, and there's no reason to believe things will magically change as he enters his age-36 season.
On paper, the Celtics still have a very good team capable of challenging in the East, but as anyone around the league can attest, the key will be how they come together.
Last season was supposed to be a wash, potentially culminating in a lottery pick, with Tatum expected to miss most of the year. Instead, Brown led the team to the second seed in the Eastern Conference before the Sixers eliminated Boston in the first round of the playoffs.
That kind of success can't be expected this season, but it can't be discounted either.
This is the final warm-up before the regular-season opener, and the Sixers will be able to put five healthy starters on the court for the first time in what seems like a lifetime.
James' vision and playmaking ability, as he approaches his 42nd birthday, are still better than those of most players in the league, and every Sixer will benefit from them. Tonight will give the starters a few more minutes to get accustomed to playing together against real competition.
Expect the highlights, passes, dunks and long 3-pointers, but there will also be a fair number of turnovers and some sloppy play as the team figures itself out.
Once the starters head to the bench, players like Wade, Jabari Walker, Caldwell-Pope and Philon will have the chance to show what they can do. They'll also give Nurse more information about how best to manage his bench, something he's been criticized for in the past. However, he's never truly had a bench as talented and deep as the one the Sixers have this season.
Celtics 123, Sixers 107
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