Final: Sixers 117, Celtics 116 - Sixers backcourt dominates, C's fall apart late

BOSTON CELTICS vs PHILADELPHIA 76ERS

Regular season game 1.

TD Garden, 7:30 p.m. - NBCS Boston

INJURIES

Boston: Jayson Tatum (OUT-Achilles)

Philadelphia: Paul George (OUT-knee), Jared McCain (OUT, thumb), Trendon Watford (OUT, hamstring)

OFFICIALS

Scott Foster (#48), Rodney Mott (#71), Michael Smith (#38)

THINGS I’M LOOKING FOR

1. Defending Joel Emiid: I’m assuming Neemias Queta is getting the start to match a big body on to Embiid, who is still not his whole self out there. Embiid will be on a minutes restriction, but Queta might be forced into one if gets caught reaching. Embiid, as we all know, is a professional grifter, and this game might simply come down to whether Queta can handle himself without picking up a couple of quick ones. 

2. Pace: This can be a big “defend with your offense” game if they can get the ball up the floor after makes, especially Embiid’s makes. He’s still rehabbing that knee and there's no chance he’ll be busting his butt to get up court. So beyond just seeing the Celtics stick to their preseason plan to play with more tempo, it’s a great strategy to hammer home in this game.

3. Rebound: 70% is the magic number. If they rebound 70% of the available opponent misses, they’ll be able to make up for it with their crashing on the offensive glass, pace, and forcing turnovers.  

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.