Boston Celtics (43-17, first in the Eastern Conference) vs. Philadelphia 76ers (39-19, third in the Eastern Conference)
Philadelphia; Saturday, 8:30 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Two of the NBA's top scorers, Joel Embiid and Jayson Tatum, meet when Philadelphia and Boston square off. Embiid ranks second in the NBA averaging 33.0 points per game and Tatum ranks sixth in the league averaging 30.6 points per game.
The 76ers are 22-13 in conference games. Philadelphia is third in the Eastern Conference in team defense, giving up just 110.4 points while holding opponents to 47.0% shooting.
The Celtics are 8-1 against the rest of their division. Boston is sixth in the NBA with 26.5 assists per game led by Marcus Smart averaging 7.0.
The teams meet for the third time this season. The Celtics won 106-99 in the last matchup on Feb. 9.
TOP PERFORMERS: James Harden averages 2.9 made 3-pointers per game for the 76ers, scoring 21.6 points while shooting 39.7% from beyond the arc. Embiid is shooting 52.7% and averaging 28.9 points over the past 10 games for Philadelphia.
Tatum is scoring 30.6 points per game and averaging 8.7 rebounds for the Celtics. Derrick White is averaging 2.5 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games for Boston.
LAST 10 GAMES: 76ers: 7-3, averaging 111.8 points, 40.8 rebounds, 24.5 assists, 7.2 steals and 4.3 blocks per game while shooting 47.3% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 107.9 points per game.
Celtics: 8-2, averaging 121.5 points, 47.6 rebounds, 26.5 assists, 5.8 steals and 4.8 blocks per game while shooting 48.9% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 112.4 points.
INJURIES: 76ers: Dewayne Dedmon: day to day (hip).
Celtics: Danilo Gallinari: out (knee).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
The Associated Press
