The Philadelphia 76ers are heading to Boston for the opening of their 2025-26 season. While last year was one of the toughest in recent memory, the team is looking to leave it as a distant one. For the Sixers, Joel Embiid should be in the lineup after missing all but 19 games last year.
Having returned for the Sixers' final preseason game, Embiid looked more like the MVP Joel than what he was doing last season, despite playing just 19 minutes due to a planned restriction. For the Celtics, they'll be missing Jayson Tatum, who was lost to a torn Achilles tendon in the second round of last year's playoffs. For both teams, this year will be a tough one, but they're hoping to get started on the right foot.
Who: Philadelphia 76ers (0-0) at Boston Celtics (0-0)
When: 7:30 p.m. EST
Where: TD Garden, Boston, Mass.
Watch: FUBO, NBA League Pass, NBC Sports Philadelphia
The Sixers start off this year with more hope than expectations than they did last season. Embiid and Paul George missed the opener, and things didn't get any better. Despite George's absence for the opener, the team is in a much better position, and Head Coach Nick Nurse has a much clearer picture of how to utilize the talent the team does have. It doesn't hurt when Joel Embiid returned at the end of the preseason and looked to be close to his former MVP self.
For Nurse, monitoring Embiid and his minutes will be key as they hope the former MVP can ramp up his minutes, but there should be no pressure to start the season for Embiid to be getting extended time on the floor. Second-year guard Jared McCain remains sidelined with a hand injury; however, the Sixers' backcourt will feature a much better version of Tyrese Maxey, along with the return of Quentin Grimes and newcomer/No. 3 overall pick in this year's draft, VJ Edgecombe. The three combined for 75 points in the final preseason game against the Wolves and will be the core trio in a smaller lineup that the Sixers look to be favoring.
The Sixers tried Embiid and second-year center/forward Adem Bona on the floor at the same time, as Bona's athleticism would take pressure off Embiid in regard to rebounding and blocking shots. While the duo might not spend a lot of time on the floor together, the Sixers are counting on Bonas' development to be a central figure on the squad this year.
This year's squad looks to be more versatile, and new faces like rookies Edgecombe and Johni Broome, as well as Trendon Watford, Jabari Walker, and Dominic Barlow, figure to add to the mix of Kelly Oubre Jr. and Justin Edwards. Nurse is going to have to be a the top of his game to make the lineup work, but he seems confident that the Sixers will look much different and much improved this season.
After winning the NBA title just two seasons ago, the Celtics fell to the Knicks in this past season's playoffs and lost Jason Tatum to a torn Achilles in the process. Tatum hasn't made any promises, but he also hasn't ruled out a return later in the season. In addition to the loss of Tatum, the team traded away veterans Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday, while losing Al Horford in free agency. This year isn't showing much promise for the storied franchise and may be on that resembles last year's Sixers squad.
Jaylen Brown is going to have to carry the load for the Celtics, and as of this writing, he's not even been cleared to play tonight, as he injured his hamstring in the first quarter of the Celtics' final preseason game.
Derrick White is still in Boston and will provide the bulk of the scoring, hoping to give them what they're missing with Tatum being out, but that may not be enough. The Celtics will be relying on the likes of Chris Boucher, Payton Pritchard, Neemias Queta, Josh Minott, and Anfernee Simons to fill out the lineup that may not have enough at either end of the floor to stack up against the Sixers, let alone the rest of the league.
The Sixers having Joel Embiid on the court and not just the shell of Embiid, combined with a healthy Maxey and Grimes, should be an exciting trio, but adding in VJ Edgecombe to that group and the Sixers have quite an athletic and talented backcourt. Despite it only being preseason, Edgecombe has looked every bit of a future NBA star and improved each game that he played. The Sixers are counting on him to be a huge part of their "smaller" lineup, which can transition up the court and help the Sixers outrun other teams.
With just a small amount of minutes on the floor tonight, Joel Embiid shouldn't have a problem imposing his will against the Celtics, who, much like the rest of the league, don't have an answer for a healthy and fully functional Embiid. If he's able to get going and make the most out of his limited minutes, the Sixers could find themselves in a very good position, out in front of what's usually a very good defensive Celtics team.
While the trio of guards should start the night together, it'll be up to Nurse to figure out the best rotation to keep at least two of them on the court at all times. After seeing what Quentin Grimes could do last year, the Sixers have full confidence in his play and scoring, which should help take the pressure off Maxey as well as ease the transition to the pro game for Edgecombe.
While the Sixers endured more pain and frustration than any team last season, the new squad looks to erase all of those bad memories with a new and exciting style of play that could work well in getting them back to the postseason, especially with teams like Boston and Indiana each missing their biggest stars. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. Let's look at tonight as the first step in a long walk, and the Sixers could take it and then take off running.
Sixers: 123 - Celtics 116
