By Brandon Apter, Sports Talk Philly editor 
The Philadelphia 76ers (9-24) head to Boston this evening for a match-up with the second best team in the Atlantic Division, the Boston Celtics (21-14). The Sixers enter the game winners of two in a row for the third time this season while the C's have won eight of their last 10 and emerged victories in each of their last three games at home.
The Sixers are in search of their third straight win tonight, having not won three in a row since they won four consecutive games from December 29-January 4 during the 2013-14 season.
Philadelphia will have to deal with speedy point guard Isaiah Thomas tonight. Over the last 10 games, he's averaging 31.5 points and 6.9 assists, shooting over 51 percent from the floor. He followed up a 52-point effort against the Heat last Friday with 29 points and 15 assists in Boston's last game against the Jazz on Tuesday.
Injury Report:
Rookie center Joel Embiid is listed as probable tonight with gastroenteritis, an illness that has affected both Jahlil Okafor and Sergio Rodriguez already this season. The 22-year-old native of Cameroon was recently named Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month, posting averages of 19.8 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.4 blocks during the month of December, leading all first-year players. Embiid missed the first meeting between the Sixers and Celtics, a 107-106 loss in Philadelphia. Meanwhile, Gerald Henderson (hip) and Robert Covington (lower back) are both probable for tonight's game. Sergio Rodriguez (ankle) is was downgraded from probable to questionable.
Last Meeting:
The Celtics defeated the short-handed Sixers in Philadelphia back on December 3, 107-106. The Sixers, coming into the game dressing just 10 players, led by seven at halftime, but Boston outscored them 29-21 in the third quarter to tie things up at 74 a piece after three. Isaiah Thomas erupted for 12 points in the fourth, leading Boston to a one-point victory. Thomas scored six straight points to make it 98-91 with just over three minutes to play. The Sixers responded with a 9-2 run to lock the game at 100, but Thomas blew by the defense with 30 seconds to play, giving Boston a 102-100 lead and the Sixers would miss on their next possession, sending the Celtics to the line to eventually seal the win. Dario Saric came up big down the stretch for Philadelphia despite the loss, finishing with 21 points and 11 boards off the bench.
McConnell embracing starter's role:
Although we may see the return of Sergio Rodriguez tonight, the last two games showed that TJ McConnell can effectively run the 76ers offense. In his three games as a starter this season, the team is 3-0 and the former undrafted free agent out of the University of Arizona is averaging 11.7 points on 50 percent shooting to go along with 8.3 assists and 6.3 rebounds per game. During the opportunities he's gotten to start, McConnell has averaged 36 minutes per game, compared to to the 19.3 minutes per contest he gets as a backup to Sergio Rodriguez. In the Sixers' final game of their road trip out west last week, McConnell scored 17 to go along with eight assists in a 124-122 win against the Nuggets.
Horford settling in with C's:
The Celtics made a splash in free agency this offseason, signing now former Hawks center Al Horford to be their starter at the five. Overall this season, the 30-year-old big man out of Miami is averaging 15.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per game and he'll provide somewhat of a different challenge for Joel Embiid if he plays. Horford, during his time with the Hawks, didn't hesitate to shoot from long range and has been effective in the post throughout his career. Over his last two games, Horford has 42 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists in wins against Miami and Utah. The Sixers held him to 11 points in the game back in December.
Previous Game Rewind:
Sixers: Philadelphia saw a 26-point lead vanish in the second half against Minnesota on Tuesday, but managed to get a game-winning shot from Robert Covington in the final seconds to notch their second straight win, 93-91. The Sixers still led by 11 after three quarters, but the Timberwolves used a 21-5 run in that quarter to claw back into the game. Philadelphia took an 88-80 lead with 4:25 left in the game, but Minnesota scored eight of the next nine points to climb to within one. TJ McConnell put the Sixers back up by three, 91-88, but Ricky Rubio drained a three with 1.6 second to play, tying things up. Out of the timeout, Dario Saric found Robert Covington cutting to the basket for an off-balance layup to win the game.
Celtics: Boston is coming off of a 115-104 win against the Jazz behind a 29 point, 15 assist effort from none other than Isaiah Thomas. The Celtics were maintaining a 15-point lead in the fourth, but Utah went on an 11-3 run to cut the deficit to just seven, but that is as close as things would get. Boston made 17 three-pointers for the second straight game en route to their eighth win over the last 10 games.
| Matchup Preview | January 6, 2017 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Philadelphia 76ers (9-24, 3-10 Away) |
Boston Celtics (21-14, 9-6 Home) |
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Game Information:
Tip-off: 7:30 p.m.
Location: TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
TV: CSN
Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic
Stream Live: NBC Sports Live Extra, CSNPhilly.com
