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According to Marc Stein of the New York Times, the Boston Celtics will face the Philadelphia 76ers on Christmas Day this year. The NBA will release their official schedule for the first week of the season, Christmas Day, and Martin Luther King Day on Wednesday at 2:00 PM EST.
A vintage dose of Celtics/Sixers, Giannis and the Bucks at MSG against the Knicks and (you guessed it) LeBron's Lakers in Oakland to face the Warriors are the highlights of the NBA's Christmas Day schedule that will be announced Wednesday afternoon, league sources tell @NYTSports
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) August 8, 2018
Our own Keith Smith noted that if the two teams were to meet on December 25th, the game would most likely be played in Boston due to Philadelphia hosting Disney On Ice.
Playing amateur arena detective: If it is indeed Celtics/76ers on Christmas, the game will almost certainly be in Boston. Philadelphia is hosting Disney On Ice over Christmas week.
— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) August 8, 2018
This comes just one week after the Boston Globe’s Gary Washburn reported that the Celtics and Sixers could potentially lead TNT’s Opening Night slate on October 16.
Hearing there's a good chance TNT season-opening slate will be #Sixers-#Celtics and #Thunder-#Warriors on Oct. 16
— gary washburn (@GwashburnGlobe) August 1, 2018
It’s pretty clear that the NBA loves the idea of a reignited Celtics/Sixers rivalry. Boston defeated Philadelphia 4-1 in the Eastern Conference Semifinals this past season.
As Stein noted, sources have told the New York Times that the Christmas Day schedule will also include the Milwaukee Bucks traveling to Madison Square Garden to face the New York Knicks and the Los Angeles Lakers at the Golden State Warriors.
We’ll have coverage of tomorrow’s special schedule release right here on CelticsBlog. Again, that release is set for 2 PM EST.