Celtics Catch a Huge Break Ahead of Game vs. Sixers

The Sixers won the previous two matchups against the Celtics, taking a 2-1 series lead entering Tuesday's contest, which is the final time they'll play each other, in the regular season, at least.

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On the eve of the Celtics' matchup against the Sixers in the City of Brotherly Love, Boston's caught a significant break as Philadelphia's announced James Harden, who's working his way back from a hamstring injury, will not make his Sixers debut until after the All-Star break.

The Sixers say James Harden is out through the All-Star break as he continues to rehabilitate his left hamstring, and that he won’t play in the All-Star Game.

— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) February 14, 2022

Philadelphia acquired Harden and Paul Millsap in a blockbuster deal at the trade deadline that sent Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, Andre Drummond, and two first-round picks to the Brooklyn Nets.

Even with the Sixers taking a cautious approach to Harden's return and trading two rotation players, they still have a formidable starting lineup with MVP candidate Joel Embiid flanked by Tobias Harris, Tyrese Maxey, Matisse Thybulle, and Danny Green.

Their second unit takes a worse hit from these developments but still features plenty of shooting with Georges Niang, Shake Milton, and Furkan Korkmaz. And if Millsap, who's played once since Dec. 30, is ready to suit up, he'll give them a veteran big off the bench.

As for the Celtics, while the trade for Daniel Theis is now complete, it's unclear if he'll play on Tuesday. The Rockets' youth movement resulted in Theis playing only five games since Dec. 28. The last time he played, he logged only 6:10 in a Jan. 14 loss to the Sacramento Kings.

The Celtics' 105-95 win over the Atlanta Hawks on Super Bowl Sunday was their eighth-straight victory, and it propelled them to sixth in the East. They're now only two games behind the fifth-seeded Sixers, who are 7-3 in their last ten games.

Philadelphia's won the previous two matchups against Boston, taking a 2-1 series lead entering Tuesday's contest, which is the final time they'll play each other, in the regular season, at least. The game tips off at 7:30 EST. Inside The Celtics will have content related to the matchup coming out before, during, and after. And follow @BobbyKrivitsky on Twitter for updates and analysis from pregame to post.

Further Reading

Celtics Sign Sam Hauser, Luke Kornet to Standard Contracts, Can Now Add Players Via 10-Day Deals

Brad Stevens Addresses Celtics' Motivations at the Deadline: 'We want to maintain the stretch we're on, but this is about the long-term'

Celtics Bring Back Daniel Theis, Send Dennis Schroder, Enes Freedom, Bruno Fernando to Rockets

Celtics Trade Josh Richardson, Protected 2022 first-round pick, Romeo Langford to Spurs for Derrick White

Celtics Trade Bol Bol and P.J. Dozier to Magic in Cost-Cutting Move

10 Tidbits About Jayson Tatum's All-Star Game Appearance: Historic Achievements, Past Performances, Adding to Celtic Lore