76ers vs. Celtics: Players to Watch on Saturday

On Saturday night, the Philadelphia 76ers welcome the Boston Celtics into the Wells Fargo Center for an Eastern Conference showdown.

On Saturday night, the Philadelphia 76ers welcome the Boston Celtics into the Wells Fargo Center for an Eastern Conference showdown.

The match at the weekend will provide the 76ers their last chance at tying the season series, as the Celtics have come out on top in their previous two meetings, with their most recent meeting coming at the beginning of the month bringing Doc Rivers' side their most recent loss, 99-106.

Since that narrow defeat at TD Garden, Philadelphia has been on a five-game win streak, with their most recent victory over the Memphis Grizzlies being their toughest one yet.

Thanks in large part to Desmond Bane having a blazing hot first half, with 21 points, the Grizzlies led the 76ers by 12 points, leaving the first two-quarters of play. 

Yet, Philadelphia would emerge from their half-time talk a different team, shooting 50 percent from the field, with Joel Embiid, James Harden, Tobias Harris, and Tyrese Maxey all putting up double-digit points to help bring the game back in their possession.

Going into Saturday's match, Doc Rivers will only have to plan his team around the absence of Dewayne Dedmon, who is sitting his second game in a row with soreness in his left hip.

On the other side of the ticket sits Boston, who come into Saturday's clash off of a close overtime victory against the Indiana Pacers. Former defensive player of the year Marcus Smart came up big for the Celtics in overtime, scoring seven points to help close off the Pacers.

Players To Watch:

Sixers: James Harden

The Celtics have been an opponent that The Beard loves to play up against this season, dropping 35 in their season opener and 26 in their meeting earlier this month. Combine this with the hot streak Harden has been on over the previous few games, averaging 25 points and ten assists on 49 percent shooting; it would be expected for him to show up big in front of the Philadelphia faithful.

Celtics: Jayson Tatum

Jayson Tatum finds himself as the Celtics' player to watch due to his impeccable form over the course of the season, averaging 31 points on 46 percent shooting, making him an easy candidate for the league's most valuable player award. Granted, this wasn't evident in his last meeting with Philadelphia, dropping only 12 points on what was a rough night for the 24-year-old.

Declan Harris contributes to All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him on Twitter: @DecIanH.

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