Philadelphia 76ers vs Boston Celtics Predicted Starting Lineups and Depth Chart for Dec. 25 | 2024-25 NBA season

The Philadelphia 76ers will travel to Massachusetts to take on the Boston Celtics on Christmas in a matchup between two of the hottest teams in the East. NBA fans will be treated to some high-level basketball with some of the league's star players set to feature at the TD Garden on Wednesday.

Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown have been two of the league's most effective scorers and the Celtics' All-Stars will be looking to send a message to their East Coast rivals with a statement win. The 76ers will turn to their talented trio of Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Paul George as they aim to upset the defending champions.

Philadelphia 76ers vs Boston Celtics Predicted Starting Lineups and Depth Chart

Philadelphia 76ers guard Jared McCain drives to the basket against Boston Celtics guard Payton Pritchard at the TD Garden. Photo Credit: Imagn

Injuries have forced Philadelphia 76ers head coach Nick Nurse to be flexible with his lineup over the first two months of the season. The veteran coach has already started 11 different players, with seven players receiving 10 or more starts. Kelly Oubre Jr. leads the roster with 24 starts and Tyrese Maxey is second on the list with 21.

The Sixers come into Wednesday's game without Jared McCain and KJ Martin. Center Andre Drummond is listed as questionable due to a toe issue and guard Eric Gordon is listed as probable to play against the Celtics.

Expect to see Nurse put out a strong team that includes Tyrese Maxey, Kelly Oubre Jr., Paul George, Guerschon Yabusele and Joel Embiid.

Philadelphia 76ers depth chart:

G	Tyrese Maxey	Kyle Lowry	Reggie Jackson	Jeff Dowtin Jr.
G	Kelly Oubre Jr.	Jared McCain (O)	Eric Gordon
F	Paul George	Caleb Martin	Ricky Council IV
F	KJ Martin (O)	Guerschon Yabusele	Pete Nance
C	Joel Embiid	Andre Drummond	Adem Bona

The Boston Celtics have the second best record in the East and a big part of that is due to their stellar starting five. Joe Mazzulla has stayed loyal to his starters. The return of Latvian center Kristaps Porzingis has seen Al Horford predominantly coming off the bench over the last month.

The Celtics do have some injury concerns with three of their regular starters, Jayson Tatum, Derrick White and Jrue Holiday, all listed as questionable for Wednesday's matchup. Those three players have been key figures for Mazzulla's lineup this season and it will be interesting to see if they are healthy in time to face the 76ers.

If White and Holiday are not able to play, expect to see guard Payton Pritchard play a bigger role. The sharpshooting guard is averaging 28.6 minutes per game, and has been exceptional coming off the bench.

The Celtics will likely begin the game with a starting five that includes Jrue Holiday, Derrick White, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum and Kristaps Porzingis.

Boston Celtics depth chart:

G	Jrue Holiday	Payton Pritchard	JD Davison
G	Derrick White	Jordan Walsh	Jaden Springer
F	Jaylen Brown	Sam Hauser	Xavier Tillman Sr.
F	Jayson Tatum	Drew Peterson
C	Kristaps Porzingis	Al Horford	Luke Kornet	Neemias Queta

Philadelphia 76ers vs Boston Celtics preview

The Philadelphia 76ers season has been a tale of two halves. After a dismal start to the season where they won just two of their first 14 games, the team has an 8-5 record since Nov. 22. The Sixers have won seven of their last ten and currently have a 10-17 record.

A lack of offense has been an issue for the 76ers, with the team managing just 105.9 ppg, the lowest in the Eastern Conference. Tyrese Maxey currently leads the roster in points (25.4) and assists (5.1), and the Sixers will need their All-Star point guard to have a big night if they hope to pull off a win in Boston.

The Boston Celtics picked up in the 2024-25 season where they left off in the 2023-24 season. Joe Mazzulla's team is off to a strong start with a 22-7 record. They have been exceptional at the TD Garde, losing just four of their first 15 games.

A dynamic offense has been the key to the Celtics early-season success. They rank second in the Eastern Conference with 119.1 ppg. Currently, there are six players on the roster averaging more than 12 points.

Jayson Tatum has been the standout player for the Celtics this season. The 26-year-old leads the team in points (28.8), rebounds (9.3)and assists (5.7).