5 Things To Watch During Sixers Vs. Celtics Game 3

PHILADELPHIA, PA — The Celtics are three wins away from dismissing the biggest obstacle that stands in their way of repeating as Eastern Conference champions. And the Sixers, meanwhile, are three wins away from their first Eastern Conference finals berth in over two decades.

Game three is Friday night back in Philadelphia, with the series knotted 1-1.

Here's what to watch for ahead of another epic Boston-Philly clash Friday night.

1. Joel Embiid's recovery usage

The big man and newly minted MVP returned to action on Wednesday after being sidelined for nearly two weeks with a knee sprain. He clearly wasn't himself, scoring just 15 points in only 26 minutes of play and moving noticeably slower at points. After the game, Embiid told reporters he knew he was going to be rusty after largely avoiding basketball activities since April 20. But he said he was glad he pushed his come back to game two to "shake the rust off."

“I was supposed to be out for four-to-six weeks or something like that,” Embiid said, according to Sports Illustrated. “I’m not gonna be one-hundred percent for the whole time, or I’m not gonna be fully healed for the whole time.”

So perhaps the most crucial questions heading into game three are, will Embiid be closer to his normal self, and how much will head coach Doc Rivers let him play to prove that?

2. Momentum-making game

After each team had a statement-making win during the two games in Boston, game three will be huge in determining the new momentum of the series. The Sixers won a tight game one on the road without Embiid — a win that was considered a huge upset around the league. The Celtics replied by demolishing the Sixers in game two with Embiid back on the court. While the "favorite" would seem to be up in the air at this point, whoever wins game three will likely have a huge leg up for the remainder of the series.

3. Other deciding factors

Both teams have players outside the obvious superstars of Embiid, James Harden, Jayson Tatum, and Jaylen Brown that can take over the game.

For the Sixers, one of those x-factors in Tyrese Maxey. Maxey had seven 30 point-plus games this season, and too much Boston focus on Embiid and Harden will leave Maxey less encumbered from the perimeter.

The Celtics have an array of lethal weapons and more depth than Philly: players like Malcolm Brogdon and Marcus Smart can be dominant offensively, but it's on the defensive end that the Sixers should be more worried about. Their former teammate Al Horford is a preeminent defender and if anyone can limit Embiid's damage when he's healthy, he's among the small crowd.

4. Odds

Celtics are minus 135 favorites to the Sixers plus 110 underdogs, according to Sportsbookwire.

5. Playoff history

Both teams have been here before. For Philly, the closest analog to 2023 seems to be 2019, when arguably the two best teams in basketball were the Sixers and the Raptors, facing off in the semifinals round. Fast forward four years later, and the Sixers are better in nearly every way but still struggling to get over the hump and win their first championship of the Joel Embiid era.

For Boston, they beat one of the NBA's preeminent teams in the semifinal round last year, too, taking down the Milwaukee Bucks 4-2 in one of the postseason's best matchups.

All time in the postseason, the Sixers are 47-62 against Boston in 14 different postseason series, losing 10 of those matchups.

In the Embiid era, the Celtics have gone 7-1 across two series: the 2018 Eastern Conference semifinals, and the first round of the pandemic shortened 2020 "bubble" format.

The Sixers went 1-3 against the Celtics during four regular season matchups this year, although one game was effectively a toss-up. Embiid scored 52 in the fourth and final matchup, the Sixers lone victory.