James Harden, Joel Embiid, and the Philadelphia 76ers will be playing against Jayson Tatum, Jrue Holiday, and the Boston Celtics to start off the NBA preseason. As many NBA fans might be aware, the 76ers have been given an exceptional amount of attention from the NBA media after Harden demanded a trade and made it clear that he didn’t want to have any association with Daryl Morey.
Although several weeks have passed since Harden demanded a trade and expressed his desire to join the Los Angeles Clippers. No such trade has come to fruition at the moment. Therefore, some fans might expect Harden to play for the 76ers in this preseason game against the Celtics.
Since the 76ers star has built up a reputation for making scenes and forcing his way out of teams in recent times, fans should certainly want to know if he is expected to play tonight against the Celtics. The same question could apply to Joel Embiid and the other 76ers stars. With that being said, let us take a look at the injury reports and expected rosters for the 76ers. Additionally, fans can also find out the expert predicitions for this game.
James Harden is expected to play in the Philadelphia 76ers vs Boston Celtics game tonight
Despite the fact that Harden made it very clear that he no longer wants to be a part of the 76ers, recent reports have revealed that he attended training camp for the Philadelphia 76ers and plans to behave professionally as the team explores other options to trade him.
James Harden putting in work during the Sixers training camp pic.twitter.com/lnL9oyHde0
— 2Cool2Blog (@2Cool2Blog) October 8, 2023
That would lead fans to assume that he is going to play tonight against the Celtics. However, there is still an air of uncertainty among the 76ers as to whether he is going to suit up for their first preseason game against the Boston Celtics. Here are the injury reports and expected rosters for the 76ers tonight.
Philadelphia 76ers injury report
- James Harden (doubtful)
- Montrezl Harrell (out)
Philadelphia 76ers expected roster
- James Harden
- Tyrese Maxey
- Kelly Oubre Jr.
- Tobias Harris
- Joel Embiid
Since Harden attending training camp and is reported to have made his decision on playing for the 76ers for the time being, we assume that he is playing tonight. However, fans shouldn’t be surprised if the Beard decides to sit out and miss the game at the last minute. Now, let us take a look at the expert predicitions for this game between the Celtics and the 76ers.
The Celtics are slightly favored over the 76ers tonight
Although Philadelphia made a few moves this offseason such as acquiring Danny Green and Kelly Oubre Jr, they will not be favored to win this game against the new look Boston Celtics. Especially with their most recent addition of Jrue Holiday. While the 76ers did have Boston facing elimination in the last postseason, they ended up being the ones who were eliminated.
Since Boston got better while the relationship between the 76ers and one of their best players has deteriorated, we have the Celtics winning tonight. However, it is fully possible for the 76ers to win this preseason matchup if Harden shows up motivated and determined to prove his value to teams across the league.
