Celtics at 76ers
THE STORY: Riding a five-game winning streak, the Boston Celtics can pull into a tie for first place in the Atlantic Division when they visit the slumping Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday night. Boston is 5-0 since the All-Star break and is coming off back-to-back overtime wins, including a 97-92 victory over Houston on Tuesday night to pull within a game of Philadelphia. The 76ers have lost eight of their last 10 and five of six at the Wells Fargo Center.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, CSNE, CSP
ABOUT THE CELTICS (20-17): Forward Kevin Garnett recorded his fifth double-double in six games with 13 points and 13 rebounds in Tuesday's win over the Rockets. Garnett moved past Shaquille O'Neal and into 12th place on the career rebounding list with 13,100. Since returning from a two-game absence due to personal reasons, the 35-year-old Garnett has averaged 19.5 points and 10.7 rebounds in his last six games. Paul Pierce has back-to-back 30-point games for the first time this season.
ABOUT THE 76ERS (22-17): With six players averaging in double figures, Philadelphia has plenty of plenty of offensive options. What they lack is a player to consistently take over a game at the end. That has led to a number of close losses, including the last four defeats by six points or fewer. Sixth man Lou Williams is the top scorer (15.7 ppg) while reserve Thaddeus Young has been the most consistent producer over the past six games, averaging 16.3 points and 8.3 boards.
BUZZER BEATERS:
1. Philadelphia has reached 100 points only once in the past 22 games.
2. Pierce, who is two games from 1,000 for his career, averages 22.1 points lifetime against the Sixers.
3. This is the first meeting this season. Boston won three of four last season.