The Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics renewed their historic rivalry -- dating back to showdowns between Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell -- on Christmas Day.
Although, as Joel Embiid said after the Sixers' loss to the Celtics on opening night, it hasn't been much of a rivalry recently. "They always kick our ass," the big man said. Through the first half of action, he's right. The Celtics hold a 57-51 lead over the Sixers at halftime due to Philadelphia's eight turnovers while Boston has just two turnovers. The game has been rather evenly played outside of the disparity in turnovers, with both teams just barely shooting over 43 percent from the field. Kyrie Irving leads all players with 23 points while Joel Embiid has notched 19 points and eight rebounds at the half.
Philadelphia entered this matchup tied for the third-best record in the East while the Celtics hold the fifth-best record in the conference. Boston won the previous team's meeting, 105-87, at TD Garden on Oct. 16. With all of the talent on the floor, as well as the history between these two groups, this already has the makings of a fun finish.
Follow all the NBA Christmas Day action live
CBS Sports will be with you the entire way updating this story with the latest scores, highlights and analysis from all the action. If you are unable to view the live application below, please click here.
76ers at Celtics storylines:
76ers: After a bit of a disappointing start to the season, Philly decided to go all-in and acquire Jimmy Butler. Since then, the 76ers are 14-5, and are fresh off a 25-point win over the Kawhi Leonard-less Raptors. Going up against their nemesis, the Celtics, on Christmas will be a great test for this team. They'll be eager to prove that they're capable of beating this Celtics bunch -- especially on the road.
Celtics: After struggling to a 10-10 start this season, the Celtics rattled off eight straight wins, and everyone thought they may have figured things out. Then they went and lost three in a row, including a game to the lowly Suns at home, which showed they still have some problems to fix. The good news is they have Al Horford and Marcus Morris back in the lineup, and their team meeting seems to have worked, as they crushed the Hornets on Sunday. Just as this matchup is a big test for the Sixers, it will be for the Celtics as well. It's been over a month since they've beat a team currently holding a playoff spot in either conference.
Game prediction, pick:
This is a tough one to predict. On the one hand, the Celtics have owned the Sixers in recent seasons, but Philly has Jimmy Butler now, and have played better over the course of the season. Still, the Celtics are healthy and at home, and that should give them the slight edge. Pick the Celtics to win and cover.
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "76ers vs. Celtics score: Watch NBA Christmas Day, live updates, full game coverage, highlights - CBS Sports"
Post a Comment