Celtics vs 76ers preview: who wins on Nov. 10?
8–2Celtics · 2nd in the Eastat
9–2Sixers · 1st in the EastTuesday, Nov. 10 · 8:00 PM ET · Xfinity Mobile Arena, Philadelphia · NBCThe top two teams in the East meet for the first time since Game 7 of last spring’s first round. Philly came back from 3–1 down in that series and won Game 7 in Boston. Two of the players who decided it now play for the other side.
The 3–1 comeback
Boston won three of the first four games, two of them by 30 or more. Joel Embiid came back for Game 4, which Boston still won by 32. Philly won the next three.
- April seriesJoel Embiid3–1with him1–2 without28.0 PPG
- April seriesJaylen Brown25.7PPG for →Now a Sixer
- April seriesPaul George17.4PPG for →Now a Celtic
Jayson Tatum averaged 23.3 in the six games he played and missed Game 7. He isn’t on the Nov. 10 injury report, and he leads Boston at 27.1 points a game.
Brown vs Tatum
Nine seasons as teammates and a title together in 2024, when Brown was Finals MVP. After Tatum tore his Achilles in May 2025, Brown carried Boston to 56 wins at a career-high 28.7 points a game. Two months after the series loss, Boston traded him for George. Nov. 10 is their first meeting as opponents.
Full Brown vs Tatum comparison →
- Boston trades Brown to Philly for Paul George and two first-round picks.
- Brown “Boston, they packed me up… I think there was a bit of a lack of respect.”
- Stevens says he didn’t keep Tatum in the loop on the trade.
- Tatum “I was just as much caught off guard as the rest of the world.” Brown replies with a blue-cap emoji.
- Tatum “I don’t have any animosity or beef or ill will towards him.”
- Brown “No beef,” but “there might be a little lamb chops and some gravy.”
- Brown “There’s nothing to talk about. He’s on his side, I’m on my side… Check the ball up.”
Quotes from ESPN and Yahoo Sports.
Mostly Boston
Four playoff series since 2018. Boston won the first three. Philly finally won one last spring.
- 20184–1East semis
- 20204–0First round
- 20234–3East semis
- 20264–3First roundFrom 3–1 down
16 winsRegular season since 2016–1723 winsIn Philadelphia 10–10In Boston 6–13So the home floor matters here: Philly has split 20 home games with Boston and lost two of every three in Boston. Both preseason games this October went to Boston, one of them 144–106, but preseason results say very little.
This season
Both defend well (5th and 6th). The gap is offense: Boston scores 7.2 more points per 100 possessions.
PHIBOS- Offense · pts per 100108.021st115.24th
- Threes made11.523rd15.62nd
- Opp. 3P%31.6%3rd33.8%12th
- Turnovers12.91st14.910th
Celtics vs 76ers full comparison →
The key matchup is Boston’s threes against Philly’s three-point defense. Boston makes 15.6 a game, 2nd in the NBA. Philly holds opponents to 31.6%, 3rd best.
Two ways of winning
Boston gets ahead early. It wins the first three quarters by a combined 13.3 points a game, then loses the 4th. Philly is behind after one on average and wins the 4th by the most.
Is Philly’s 9–2 real?
Probably. A team that wins by about 3 points a game usually sits around 7–4, not 9–2. Boston’s +10.7 is the 3rd best margin in the league, and its 8–2 is about what that margin earns.
Players to watch
Tyrese Maxey26.9 PPG7th in scoring. 26.9 a game vs Boston in April.- Jaylen Brown22.3 PPGScored 25.7 a game against Philly in April, as a Celtic.
- Joel Embiid9.7 RPG17.9 PPG. Averaged 28.0 in April’s last four games.
Jayson Tatum27.1 PPG6th in scoring, 7.8 assists. Missed Game 7.- Paul George42.5% 3P20.4 PPG. Was a Sixer in April.
Payton Pritchard12.8 PPGOff the bench. Scored 32 in Game 4 in April.
Philly is without Adem Bona, Dominick Barlow and Ariel Hukporti, all bench players. Boston has nobody on the injury report.
How each team wins
Philly wins if it…
- Keeps the ball. Philly commits 12.9 turnovers a game, fewest in the NBA. Boston forces 17.1, 7th most.
- Takes away the three. Philly holds teams to 31.6% from three. If Boston’s 41.5 attempts a game turn into tough twos, Philly’s defense wins.
- Stays close until the 4th. Philly is 8–0 in close games and Boston has lost the 4th quarter by 2.4 a game.
- Gets something on the glass. Philly is 26th in rebound margin at -4.5 a game. Joel Embiid’s 9.7 a game is most of what it has.
Boston wins if it…
- Hits from three. 15.6 made a game at 37.6%. Paul George makes 42.5% of his.
- Builds the lead early. Boston is +5.8 in 1st quarters, Philly -1.4. A double-digit lead takes Philly’s closing out of the game.
- Wins the offensive glass. 14.1 offensive rebounds a game (5th) against a Philly team with the 5th-worst rebound margin in the league.
- Doesn’t need the 4th. Boston has lost 4th quarters on average. Close late games are where Philly has been the best team in the league.
Who wins?
52%48%ESPN’s matchup predictor for Nov. 10. The betting line has Boston by 1.5.It is close to a coin flip, and both sides have a case.
- For Boston: the better team so far. A +10.7 margin against +3.1, the 4th-best offense against the 21st, and the 2nd-most threes in the league.
- For Philly: home court, the fewest turnovers in the NBA, a three-point defense built for this opponent, and 8 close wins without a loss.
- Even: rest. Both teams played on Nov. 8 and had Nov. 9 off.
- Too early to say: about ten games each, roughly an eighth of the season.
Our lean: Boston, narrowly. Its margin says it has been the better team. If Philly keeps it within five going into the last five minutes, though, that has been its game all season.
Put the two teams side by side on the compare page, see the standings, or read how the Sixers started 8–1.
Season numbers cover every 2026–27 regular-season game through November 9, from ESPN box scores and play-by-play. Head-to-head history is every game since 2016–17 from ESPN, regular season and playoffs. Points per 100 possessions use field-goal attempts − offensive rebounds + turnovers + 0.44 × free-throw attempts. The predictor and injury report are ESPN’s, from the morning of November 10.