If recent history is any indication, the visiting Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers are destined for another close matchup Tuesday.
This is already the third meeting this season between the Atlantic Division rivals. They squared off on Opening Night in Boston, where the Sixers escaped with a 117-116 victory. However, the Celtics claimed the rematch in Philadelphia on Halloween with a one-point win of their own, 109-108.
In the first matchup, Tyrese Maxey scored 40 points and VJ Edgecombe added 34 — the third-most ever in an NBA debut. The No. 3 overall pick in this year’s draft quickly earned the respect of Celtics guard Derrick White.
“For a rookie to come in, first game, and put up (that many points) was impressive,” said White, who joined Jaylen Brown in scoring a team-high 25 points that night. “I don’t know if I’ve ever seen someone have that in their debut. He had a really good game.”
Of course, Boston returned the favor on Oct. 31 in an NBA Cup matchup. Brown led the way with 32 points in that contest as the Celtics surged ahead 38-25 after one quarter and held on for the narrow victory.
“Give them a lot of credit,” Sixers coach Nick Nurse said after that loss. “Obviously, they came in here pushing it pretty hard and playing pretty aggressive. We were just back on our heels a little bit. I didn’t really like where our pickup points were on defense.”
More recently, Philadelphia is coming off a 111-108 loss to the Detroit Pistons on Sunday — the team’s third loss in four games.
Maxey and Edgecombe combined to shoot just 13-of-35 from the field with eight turnovers between them. Maxey was the Sixers’ high scorer with 33 points and comes in averaging 33.2 points — second in the league entering Monday’s action.
Meanwhile, Philadelphia guard Jared McCain continued to struggle in his return from knee and hand injuries, as he went scoreless in a nine-minute run.
“I think he’s got some work to do,” Nurse said of McCain, who has missed all seven of his shots in 24 minutes this season. “I think, for sure, he’s just trying to figure out where he fits in right now.”
That situation might be relatable to Boston guard Anfernee Simons, who has been up-and-down since coming over in an offseason trade with the Portland Trail Blazers. However, he is coming off a 25-point performance — matching his season high — in Sunday’s 111-107 triumph over the Orlando Magic.
“We have to figure out how to maximize everybody’s potential to whatever degree that is,” Brown said. “Anfernee is a guy who’s very talented, so we have to figure out how we can continue to maximize his potential, regardless of what it looks like. We’ve just got to keep an open mind.”
Simons and Luka Garza (16 points on 7-of-8 shooting) gave the Celtics a big lift Sunday with the starters struggling across the board. Brown and White combined for 48 points, but neither shot efficiently. The other three Boston starters combined for 13 points.
Reserve guard Jordan Walsh also gave the team a lift with six points, six rebounds, four assists and two steals in 26 minutes — and he could be in line for a larger role Tuesday against the Sixers’ deep and talented backcourt.
