Philadelphia 76ers (33-26) at Boston Celtics (39-20)
Sunday, March 1, 2026
8:00 PM ET
Regular Season Game #60, Home Game #29
TV: NBC/Peacock, NBCSB, NBCSP
Radio: 98.5 Sports Hub, 97.5 Fanatic, Sirius XM
TD Garden
The Celtics host the Philadelphia 76ers for the 4th, and final, game between them this season. All 3 games so far have been decided by either 1 or 2 points. On opening night, the 76ers won 117-116 in Boston. On December 31, The Celtics won 109-108 in Philadelphia. Then, on November 11, the 76ers won 102-100
in Philadelphia.
The Celtics beat the 76ers 3-1 last season and they were also 3-1 against the 76ers in the 2023-24 season. The Celtics are 275-202 overall all time and they are 157-59 all time at home against the 76ers. The Celtics are playing on the first night of back to back games. They will travel to Milwaukee to take on the Bucks on Monday. The Celtics are 7-3 in the first of back to back games.
Like the Celtics, the 76ers made a couple of moves at the trade deadline to get under the tax line. They traded Jared McCain to Oklahoma City in exchange for draft picks. They also traded Eric Gordon to Memphis to gain flexibility to convert Dominick Barlow from a 2-way contract to a standard contract. Like the Celtics they are staying under the tax line with 10 day contracts and will still have to sign another player eventurally.
The Celtics are 2nd in the East, 5.5 games behind 1st place Detroit. They are 1.5 games ahead of 3rd place New York , 3 games ahead of 4th place Cleveland, 5 games ahead of 5th place Toronto, 6 games ahead of 6th place Philadelphia and 7.5 games ahead of 7th place Orlando. The Celtics are 25-13 against Eastern Conference opponents and 8-5 against the Atlantic Division. They are 19-9 at home and 8-2 in their last 10 games. They are coming off a win in their last game.
The 76ers are 6th in the East, 11.5 games behind 1st place Detroit, 6 games behind 2nd place Boston, 3 games behind 4th place Cleveland, and 1 game behind 5th place Toronto. They are 1.5 games ahead of 7th place Orlando and 2 games ahead of 8th place Miami. They are 21-19 against Eastern Conference opponents and 8-6 against the Atlantic Division. They are 17-11 on the road 5-5 in their last 10 games. They have won their last 3 games.
The Celtics are at home for the 2nd straight game having played Brooklyn on Friday. After this game they will play Milwaukee on the road in back to back games. Next, they are back home for games against Charlotte and Dallas before a tough 3 game road trip through Cleveland, San Antonio, and Oklahoma City. Then they host Washington, Phoenix and Golden State. Then, it is one game at Memphis before a 3 game home stand against Minnesota, Oklahoma City and Atlanta.
The 76ers will return home after this game to host San Antonio and Utah before playing Atlanta and Cleveland on the road. Then they play Memphis at home before playing at Detroit Next they host Brooklyn and Portland before heading out on the road to play at Denver, Sacramento and Utah before returning home to play Oklahoma City and Chicago.
Although many were guessing that Jayson Tatum would return for this game because the game was moved to NBC, he remains listed as out on the injury report. Baylor Scheierman joins him on the injury report as questionable due to a fractured left thumb that he suffered against the Nets on Friday. If he can’t go I would guess that Ron Harper, Jr or Hugo Gonzalez would start, but you never know what Joe will do.
For Philadelphia, Joel Embiid is listed on their injury report as out due to a right oblique strain. Embiid reported soreness on his right side following the 76ers’ win over the Heat on Thursday and tests determined it to be a strain that will keep him out at least 3 games. I’m guessing that Andre Drummond will start in his place. Paul George is out due to a suspension for failing a drug test. Johni Broome is also out with a knee injury.
Probable Starting Matchups
PG: Derrick White vs Tyrese Maxey
SG: Baylor Scheierman vs VJ Edgecombe
SF: Jaylen Brown vs Kelly Oubre, Jr
PF: Sam Hauser vs Dominick Barlow
C: Neemias Queta vs Andre Drummond
Celtics Reserves
Payton Pritchard
Hugo Gonzalez
Luka Garza
Amare Williams
Nikola Vucevic
Jordan Walsh
Delano Banton (10-day)
2-Way Players
Ron Harper, Jr
Max Shulga
John Tonje
Injuries/Out
Jayson Tatum (Achilles) out
Baylor Scheierman (thumb) questionable
Head Coach
Joe Mazzulla
76ers Reserves
Quentin Grimes
Kyle Lowry
Justin Edwards
Trendon Watford
Cameron Payne
Adem Bona
Jabari Walker
2-Way Players
Dalen Terry
MarJon Beauchamp
Tyrese Martin
Injuries/Out
Johni Broome (knee) out
MarJon Beauchamp (illness) questionable
Joel Embiid (oblique) out
Paul George (suspension) out
Head Coach
Nick Nurse
Key Matchups
Derrick White vs Tyrese Maxey
Maxey is averaging 29.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, 6.8 assists and 2.1 steals per game while shooting 46.5% from the field and 37.6% from beyond the arc. In the first 3 games against the Celtics, he averaged 29 points, 5 rebounds, 9.7 assists, 1.7 steals and 1 block while shooting 45.6% from the field and 58.3% from beyond the arc. He is quick and shoots the ball well and so the Celtics will have their hands full defending him but they must make it a priority to slow him down.
Jaylen Brown vs Kelly Oubre, Jr
Oubre is averaging 14.5 points, 4.8 rebounds. and 1.7 assists. He is shooting 46.9% from the field and 37.6% from beyond the arc. In the 3 games against the Celtics this season, he averaged 13 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 0.3 assists while shooting 44.8% from the field and 27.8% from beyond the arc.
Honorable Mention
Baylor Scheierman vs Vj Edgecomb
Edgecombe is one of the leaders for Rookie of the Year. He is averaging 15.3 points, 5.6 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.5 steals per game while shooting 43.1% from the field and 36.0% from beyond the arc. In the first 3 games against the Celtics, he averaged 19 points, 5 rebounds, and 3.7 assists while shooting 45.8% from the field and 39.1% from beyond the arc. The Celtics need to be ready for him and defend him both in the paint and on the perimeter. If Sheierman can’t play, then Hugo Gonzalez, or Ron Harper Jr or, knowing Joe, anyone else on the team may start in his place.
Keys to the Game
Defense – As always, defense is a key to winning this, and every, game. The Celtics defense has been getting better as the season has gone on. In the first 20 games of the season, the Celtics were 18th on defense. In the 2nd 20 games, they ranked 12th. In the last 16 games, they have the 3rd best defense. Overall, they are 7th with a defensive rating of 112.1. The 76ers are 16th with a defensive rating of 114.2. The Celtics must play tough lock down defense in this game if they want to beat the 76ers.
Rebound – Rebounding is also one of the biggest keys to winning every game.. The Celtics are 30-8 in games that they tie or out-rebound opponents. They are just 9-12 in games tin which they are out-rebounded. They simply have to fight harder to grab rebounds than their opponents. Every Celtic has got to crash the boards and fight for every rebound.
Move the Ball Carefully – The Celtics need to move the ball and find the open man. They play their best when they share the ball. They are 25-2 when they have more than 25 assists in a game. However, the Celtics need to take care of the basketball and limit turnovers. They have to make careful passes and also be aware while dribbling and not drive into a crowd or allow a defender to steal the ball since the 76ers average 19.2 points off turnovers per game.
Effort and Focus – The Celtics have to put out more effort in this game than the 76ers. The 76ers play hard and the Celtics have to play harder. They have to be more aggressive on the boards, in going to the basket, in diving for loose balls, and just playing harder overall. They also have to stay focused on taking good shots and making them. They can’t afford to lose focus or to allow the 76ers to play harder than them.
X-Factors
Home Game – The Celtics need to feed off the energy of the crowd and hopefully, the 76ers will be distracted by travel and the hostile crowd. The Celtics should also be motivated by the fact that the 76ers came into their building on opening night and beat them there. The Celtics should protect their home court and play harder because of it.
Coaching – Joe Mazzulla is in his 4th season as Celtics’ head coach. He won a title with a very talented team that was packed with shooting stars. Now he has to win in a different way since his personnel has changed and so far he is doing a great job of it. Nick Nurse is in his 8th season as a head coach overall and his 3rd as the 76ers head coach. He won a title with the Raptors in 2019. The 76ers returned their core this season and added a very talented lottery pick and so Nurse has a lot to prove with this team.
Officiating – Officiating is always an x-factor. Every crew calls the game differently. Some call it tight and call every bit of contact while others allow more physical play. Some favor the home team while others call both sides evenly. The Celtics have to adjust to the way the refs are calling the game and not allow the no calls and bad calls to affect their focus on playing the game.
