Final: Sixers 118, Celtics 114 - Maxey drops 33, Martin unconcious from 3

BOSTON CELTICS (22-7) vs PHILADELPHIA 76ers (10-17)

TD Garden 5 p.m. - ABC/ESPN 

Line: Boston -8.5

INJURIES

Boston: Jrue Holiday (OUT, shoulder)

Philadelphia: KJ Martin (OUT, foot), Jared McCain (OUT, knee), Andre Drummond (QUESTIONABLE, toe), Eric Gordon (QUESTIONABLE, oral surgery)

THINGS I’M LOOKING FOR

1. Embiid’s effectiveness: I expect the Celtics to put Embiid in a ton of pick and roll/pop action to challenge his defensive effectiveness. How mobile will he be? How much gas does he have in the tank? How will that impact him on the other end? This is a “defend with your offense” situation, attacking him to tire him out and get him to settle for jumpers. 

2. 3-point bombing: The Sixers have done a decent job limiting opponents to less than 37 3-point attempts per game, though that number has gone up recently. I think Embiid’s drop coverage will be an invitation for Boston to pull up behind screens or run pick-and-pop with Al Horford and Kristaps Porzingis. I think this can be a 50 attempt night for the Celtics. 

3. Defending Embiid: Without Holiday, the Celtics will likely go double-big and put Horford on Embiid. I’m assuming Horford will match Embiid’s minutes directly. I’m curious to see what they’ll do with Porzingis in this alignment. 

Follow along with my thoughts as the game goes on. They’ll show up below and in the comments section, so hop in and share your opinion as well.