The Boston Celtics will headline the NBA's 2024 Christmas Day slate for the eighth consecutive year, booking an Eastern Conference rivalry matchup for the reigning champions this upcoming season.
Boston will host the Philadelphia 76ers at TD Garden, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic. The San Antonio Spurs-New York Knicks, Minnesota Timberwolves-Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Lakers-Golden State Warriors and Dever Nuggets-Pheonix Suns are the other four battles scheduled for Christmas Day.
Last season, the Celtics took down LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Center on Christmas Day, and this go-around Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown will get a chance to spoil Philadephia's holiday spirit. The 76ers got busy this offseason, most notably by signing nine-time All-Star Paul George to a four-year, $211 million contract in free agency and retaining guard Tyrese Maxey on a five-year, $204 million extension. Only time will (soon) tell how much those investments will help franchise star Joel Embiid -- who's never reached the conference finals -- in 2024-25.
The offseason, however, did spark confidence among Philadelphia's front office, coming off a first-round elimination in last season's playoffs. Sixers president of basketball operations Darryl Morrey spoke boldly about where Philadelphia measures in comparison to Boston's title-defending squad.
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"We're right there in the conversation with a very small number of teams -- top three, top four, top two in the league, somewhere in there," Morey told 97.5 The Fanatic in July. "Obviously, you gotta give the Celtics their credit. They won the title. They're an excellent team. They brought everybody back. They're the target, but we don't feel like we give up anything to them, and we're gonna be coming to take the title away from them."
Boston and Philadelphia last met on Christmas Day during the 2018-19 season, a battle the Celtics won 121-114 in overtime.
Featured image via Winslow Townson/USA TODAY Sports Images
