No better way to unwind after a stressful holiday than Sixers-Celtics Christmas Day

Happy Holidays from the Liberty Ballers staff! There’s no better way to decompress from the stressful holiday season than watching the Philadelphia 76ers face off against Boston Celticsnot?

The Sixers are coming off a drama-filled win against San Antonio Spurswhich saw Andre Drummond ejected, then ejected, and Joel Embiid later ejected. At least from an officiating perspective, the bar is set low heading into this game. From a team perspective, it was a very encouraging win, with this Boston game setting the table for them to really start turning things around on the year.

Before diving into some key areas to watch, there are a few names on the injury report for both sides. Joel Embiid is, as expected, good for this game. Andre Drummond is questionable with a sprained toe that sidelined him for most of the Spurs game. KJ Martin will also be out for a few weeks dealing with a stress reaction. For the Celtics, Jrue Holiday, Jayson Tatum and Derrick White are all listed as questionable.

The reigning champion Celtics have been exactly what many expected heading into the season – a top team with an abundance of talent around their two All-Stars, Jaylen Brown and Tatum. Payton Prichard, in particular, has been their biggest surprise, averaging a hair under 16 points and making a serious run for the Sixth Man of the Year award.

From a defensive standpoint, there is no better test for the new Sixers than the Celtics. It all starts with their star wing duo, where Paul George, Kelly Oubre Jr. and Caleb Martin probably takes the brunt of the task. On the other end of the court, White and Holiday (if available) will make life difficult for Tyrese Maxey, who is coming off one of his strongest performances of the season.

The Celtics have focused on acquiring mobile bigs capable of shooting and playing from the perimeter, which will test Embiid’s mobility on the defensive end. Since returning from injury/suspension, he has moved well and has looked like the Embiid we have all come to know. He should especially have fresh legs after the last game, considering he only played about nine minutes.

This game is slated to be just the third full game the Sixers have had their Big 3 of Maxey, George and Embiid in 27 regular season games. Aside from the playoffs, Christmas Day gives teams the biggest stage they’ll have all season. A strong Sixers showing against their rival and defending world champions would restore confidence in what has been a season draped in negativity.

Fortunately, the Sixers appear to be turning the ship around. They are 7-3 in their last 10 games and their offense is climbing from the basement in the standings to 17th overall. Their defense is also 10th best in the league during this span. On the year, the Celtics ranked 10th in offense and seventh in defense.

As we end this preview on a festive note, we’d like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Merry Christmas. Soon enough, we’ll find out if the Sixers deliver a holiday gift or leave us with a lump of coal.

Game details

WHO: Philadelphia 76ers vs. Boston Celtics

When: 5 p.m. ET

Where: TD Garden, Boston, MA

Clock: ABC, ESPN, ESPN+, Disney+

Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic

Follow: @LibertyBallers