Boston Celtics vs. 76ers at a glance
Boston Celtics vs. 76ers at a glance
TEAMS: Celtics (44-25) vs. Sixers (25-43)
WHEN: Sunday, 1 p.m.
WHERE: Wells Fargo Center
BROADCASTS: TV – CSN RADIO – 97.5 FM
SOCIAL MEDIA COVERAGE: TWITTER – @PompeyOnSixers, INSTAGRAM – PompeyOnSixers
411 ON CELTICS: The Celtics have to play their second game without All-Star point guard Isaiah Thomas, who is sidelined with a right knee bone bruise. He's the league's second leading scorer at 29.2 points.
Jae Crowder took up the slack on Friday, scoring nine of his 24 points in the fourth quarter against the Brooklyn Nets. The small forward also had 12 rebounds.
The Sixers may have a tough time with center Al Horford. He averaged 13.6 points, 8.7 rebounds, 3.1 ssists and 1.41 blocks in 27 career games against the Sixers.
PROBABLE STARTERS
CELTICS (44-25)
99 Jae Crowder SF 6-6 13.5 ppg. 5.7 rpg.
90 Amir Johnson PF 6-9 6.5 ppg. 4.6 rpg.
42 Al Horford C 6-10 14.0 ppg. 4.9 apg.
0 Avery Bradley SG 6-2 16.9 ppg. 6.2.rpg.
36 Marcus Smart PG 6-4 10.8 ppg. 3.79 apg.
Coach: Brad Stevens (Fourth season, 157-158)
Injury report: Thomas (bone bruise, right knee, out)
SIXERS (25-43)
33 Robert Covington SF 6-9 12.6 ppg. 1.90 rpg.
9 Dario Saric PF 6-10 12.3 ppg. 6.3 rpg.
8 Jahlil Okafor C 6-11 12.1 ppg. 4.9 rpg.
20 Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot SF 6-6 4.8 ppg. 1.8 rpg.
1 T.J. McConnell PG 6-2 6.4 ppg. 6.3 apg.
Coach: Brett Brown (fourth season, 72-242)
Injury report: Ben Simmons (right foot fracture, out), Jerryd Bayless (left wrist ligament tear, out), Joel Embiid (left knee meniscus tear, bone bruise, out), Tiago Splitter (right calf strain, out).
THE SERIES
Boston owns a 254-184 series advantage and have won 10straight.
LAS VEGAS LINE
Boston is a 5-point favorite.
LAST SERIES MEETING
The Celtics prevailed, 116-108, at the TD Garden on Feb, 15.
Thomas had a lot to do with the outcome. The 5-foot-9 all-star selection made 4 of 7 three-pointers en route to 33 points. Thirteen of his points came in the fourth quarter.
Saric paced the Sixers with 20 points. Covington scored all 18 of his points in the first half. The small forward missed all five of his second-half shots before leaving the game with what appeared to be a head bruise with 3 minutes, 35 seconds left. Meanwhile, former Nerlens Noel (16), McConnell (12), Gerald Henderson (11), and Nik Stauskas (11) were the Sixers' other double-digit scorers.
UPCOMING GAMES
Monday: 7 p.m., at Amway Center, Sixers at Orlando Magic
Wednesday: 8 p.m., at Chesapeake Energy Arena, Sixers at Oklahoma City Thunder
Friday: 8 p.m., at the United Center, Sixers at Chicago Bulls
March 26: 6 p.m., at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Sixers at Indiana Pacers
March 28: 7:30 p.m., at Barclays Center, Sixers at Brooklyn Nets
Follow and contact 76ers beat writer Keith Pompey on Twitter and on Instagram at PompeyOnSixers.