Sixers Expected to Face Division Rival for 2024 Christmas Game

The Philadelphia 76ers are expected to face the Boston Celtics on Christmas Day in 2024.

Nov 8, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) controls the ball against Boston Celtics guard Jrue Holiday (4) in the first quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-USA TODAY Sports / Kyle Ross-USA TODAY Sports

For the third season in a row, the Philadelphia 76ers are on pace to compete on Christmas.

According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, the Sixers are expected to take on the Boston Celtics on the road. It marks the first time the Sixers and the Celtics will meet on Christmas since the 2018-2019 season.

When the Sixers and the Celtics met on Christmas Day in 2018, the team was headlined by Joel Embiid, Jimmy Butler, and Ben Simmons.

Embiid contributed to a team-high 34 points, while Butler tacked on 24. Philly received a solid scoring outing from the sharpshooter JJ Reddick, who drained 40 percent of his threes to score 17 points.

The 2018 Christmas Day battle required overtime. After getting outscored 13-6 in the extra period, the Sixers fell short against the Celtics 121-114. Boston received a major boost from their former All-Star guard, Kyrie Irving, at the time.

Since facing Boston on Christmas in 2018, the Sixers returned to the slate three more times. In 2019, they had success against the Milwaukee Bucks with a memorable 121-109 victory over Giannis Antetokounmpo and Milwaukee.

After getting Christmas Day off for the next two years, the Sixers returned to the main stage to take on the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden in 2022. They found success on the road with a major 119-112 victory.

Last year, the Sixers paid a visit to the Miami Heat on Christmas Night. Without Embiid, who was dealing with a setback, the Sixers didn’t have any answers for the trio of Jaime Jaquez, Bam Adebayo, and Tyler Herro. Philly fell short 119-113.

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Next year’s Christmas game poses a tough battle. Not only are the Celtics the league’s champs, but the Sixers have struggled a lot against the Celtics lately.

Last year, the Sixers lost all but one of their four games against the Celtics. In 2022-2023, they found similar results. Including a 2023 playoff series, the Sixers are 6-9 in their last 15 games against Boston. This season, they’ll get a chance to seek revenge in the primetime spotlight.

While the tip-off times have yet to be revealed, the Sixers-Celtics battle is expected to be on a slate that includes, Spurs-Knicks, Timberwolves-Mavericks, Lakers-Warriors, Nuggets-Suns.

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