Jaylen Brown faces his old club for the first time in the regular season when the Philadelphia 76ers host the Boston Celtics at Xfinity Mobile Arena in the early hours of Wednesday, with the top two teams in the Eastern Conference standings meeting head on.

The sides last met in Game 7 of the 2026 first round, when Philadelphia recovered from 3-1 down to win 109-100 at TD Garden, and the summer trade that sent Brown to the Sixers and Paul George to Boston has given the rematch a fresh edge.

What is the form like for the Celtics and 76ers?

Boston have outscored opponents by 12.2 points per game across their last five, winning four of them, including a 119-80 rout at Charlotte.

The only defeat in that run was a 109-93 loss at Houston, which ended a five-game winning streak, and Boston have responded with three straight wins.

Philadelphia lead the East at 9-2, though their last five has been patchier, with a 119-95 defeat at Cleveland sitting between wins at Detroit and Chicago.

The latest of those, a 127-121 victory over the Bulls, saw Brown score 29 points and LeBron James add 22, with Joel Embiid contributing 18 points and 10 rebounds.

Across the season Boston hold a clear edge in efficiency, with a net rating of +11.6 against Philadelphia's +2.7, and the gap comes from an offence rated more than seven points per 100 possessions better.

Philadelphia's strength is ball security, as they give the ball away two fewer times per game than Boston, which matters in a contest where possessions may be scarce.

The Celtics beat Milwaukee twice in four days, winning 109-102 at home and then 117-97 on the road on Sunday, which shows they can handle a repeat opponent on the second look.

Boston's road form deserves respect, since they have conceded just 100.8 points per game away from home and won three of their five away games.

Philadelphia have also scored 126 or more points in two of their last five games, so their attack can keep pace if the visitors let the game open up.

Philadelphia have won four of five at home but concede 105.6 there, nearly five more than Boston allow on their travels, and that defensive gap is the main reason the visitors look the stronger side on the evidence.

Boston Celtics vs. Philadelphia 76ers team news and rotations

Neither side had published its official report at the time of writing, and Embiid is the main uncertainty for Philadelphia, as he is managing a right foot issue but played just under 29 minutes at Chicago and is not on the second night of a back-to-back.

Adem Bona was ruled out on Sunday with a cervical spine sprain and a return is estimated for this game, while Dominick Barlow remains out with a lower back stress reaction and Ariel Hukporti is sidelined for the season with a ruptured Achilles.

Boston's long-term absentee has been Devin Carter, who was last reported out with mononucleosis, and the visitors face a quick turnaround with a game at Toronto next on the NBA schedule.

Philadelphia's expected starting five is Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe, Brown, James and Embiid, the group that started on Sunday, while Boston's projected unit is Derrick White, George, Jordan Walsh, Jayson Tatum and Neemias Queta.

Philadelphia host Toronto on Friday and Boston visit the Raptors on Wednesday at 7pm ET, so neither side can afford to spend minutes carelessly in a game that falls early in the week.

Celtics vs. 76ers and the matchups that could decide it

Brown and Tatum spent nine seasons together in Boston, so the reunion carries edge even though Brown says the plan is simply to check the ball up and Tatum insists there is no beef.

Elsewhere, the contest between Embiid and Queta should shape the rebounding battle, while Maxey will meet White, who averages 1.4 steals.

Best player props for Celtics vs. 76ers

Celtics vs. 76ers head-to-head and the Game 7 backstory

Philadelphia won the 2026 first-round series 4-3 after trailing 3-1, closing it out 109-100 at TD Garden in Game 7 as Embiid scored 34 points.

That made the Sixers only the 14th team in NBA history to recover from 3-1 down, and it was their first playoff series win over Boston in 44 years.

Boston played Game 7 without Tatum, and the rosters have changed since with Brown and George swapping teams, so the series is more backdrop than guide for what follows.

Both teams sit within half a game of each other at the top of the East, so the result also feeds into the race for the conference lead as well as the personal storylines.

Celtics vs. 76ers prediction and betting tips

Boston's edge in efficiency at both ends, together with a defence that has held three of their last five opponents below 100 points, makes them the more convincing side on current evidence.

Philadelphia's talent and home record keep the margin narrow, so the call is a Celtics win in a game that stays below the posted total, with Boston's pace nearly four possessions a game slower than Philadelphia's.