A closer look at the crucial storylines in tonight's divisional matchup as Al Horford makes his return to the TD Garden for the first time with the Sixers.
1. Can Celtics find someone to slow Ben Simmons down? The C’s best Simmons stopper is now a teammate of his in Philadelphia, while their other best defensive chip is sidelined for this one with an eye infection in Marcus Smart. Simmons was a one-man wrecking crew in the opener, posting 24 points, 8 rebounds and 9 assists against a host of Boston defenders that did little to slow him down in transition or the half-court. It will most likely be a mix of Tatum/Hayward/Brown/Ojeleye with this defensive assignment yet again but everyone has to be on the same page about slowing him down in transition whenever possible. The defensive intensity simply wasn’t there for Boston for the better part of 48 minutes in the opener and a tight game turned into a blowout because of it. Brown needs to be smart with his fouls in this one since his 20 minutes in the opener proved costly and the team can’t afford to lose him again with Smart already sidelined.
2. Does Enes Kanter draw the start against Embiid? The big man’s only start of the year came in the opener against Embiid and he held up fairly well on the defensive end, helping to limit the Sixers center to a pedestrian 15 points and 13 rebounds over 23 minutes. Kanter’s rebounding is going to be pivotal in this one and there is no question he is going to get big minutes with Rob Williams (sore hip) already sidelined. The bigger question will be whether Stevens will ride him for the majority of Embiid's minutes or look to go into scramble mode with Grant Williams and Daniel Theis manning the middle for a more mobile look. Theis has showed some great rhythm with the starting five on the offensive end so keeping him in to spread the Sixers frontline out with his shooting may not be a bad move either.
3. Will Celtics find better ways to create separation for Kemba Walker against a stingy Sixers defense? The All-Star suffered through his worst shooting performance of the year on opening night, being hounded on the perimeter by Josh Richardson to the tune of a 4-of-18 performance with three turnovers.
Josh Richardson's defensive highlights from today's game pic.twitter.com/ircqzUDlxF
— Jackson Frank (@jackfrank_jjf) October 24, 2019