Is Boston facing a Derrick White Christmas against Philadelphia?

Boston has played on Christmas Day for eight years in a row, and tonight will be their ninth time playing^Th. They face the Philadelphia 76ers, a legendary rival, although Joel Embiid and I haven’t seen such a great rivalry in the Jays era. Philly had a shaky start to this season, holding a disappointing record of 10-17.

They’ve experienced a number of injuries that have plagued their roster and created uncertainty from night to night, but the Celtics themselves are a little unsure about tonight’s celebrations. Jayson Tatum (illness), Jrue Holiday (shoulder) and Derrick White (hamstring injury) are all listed as questionable due to a variety of minor ailments.

But beyond the lineup, there are some even bigger questions.

Were the Celtics naughty or nice this year?

Will Boston and its fans end the game in celebration or will they go home with a stocking full of cash? The Celtics have won 6 of their last 9 Christmas games, including the last two they played. Plus, they haven’t lost a single game in a row all season and ending the series against a rival tonight would certainly put a damper on things. If the Celtics remembered to leave out Jaylen and Kristaps’ cookies and cream combo for Santa, they should be in good shape, but we’ll have to wait and see the results.

Which team will spread the most holiday cheer?

Every year, the NBA includes one player from each team at the Christmas Games so we can get a glimpse of the on-court festivities. From wishing fans to sharing the love between teams, it’s always nice to hear the players get into the Christmas spirit despite a heated matchup. While it doesn’t show up in the box score, perhaps the most telling statistic of the night to pay attention to is which team is able to spread more holiday cheer.

The Celtics appear to have a lead. Joe Mazzulla set the tone early with his strong wishes for the referees against the Bulls last week. If he acts aggressively tonight, I would already consider this a battle won. Boston also has people like Jrue Holiday and Derrick White, whose last names have been in the news since birth. In a pinch, the Celtics can also turn to Xavier Tillman to play for Christmas. We can’t go unmentioned that Boston also has one of the funniest guys not named Santa Claus: Luke Kornet.

However, Philadelphia has some nice colleagues in Tyrese Maxey and Jared McCain, although McCain is unfortunately out for the season after suffering a torn MCL. Additionally, the Sixers brought in former Celtic draft pick Guerschon Yabusele following his amazing performance at the Olympics over the summer. Yabu might just be Philly’s secret weapon because he has one of my favorite nicknames, the Dancing Bear. Given the time of year, we could see him at Polar this evening.

It will certainly be a tough duel between the two teams.

Who will give the Celtics fans the (second) best gift of the evening?

Everyone knows that a win for their favorite team is the best gift fans can receive, but I’m sure we’ll have at least one more great treat ahead of us in a duel like this. Maybe we’ll see Jaylen Embiid in a stocking with a mean poster like Tatum did with Giannis last year. Or maybe Payton Pritchard, Sam Hauser and Kristaps Porzingis will make it snow with an avalanche of three. Maybe Jrue Holiday and Derrick White will bring us some (gingerbread) cookies while they raid the pockets of Sixers players. Whatever it is, I’m sure Celtics fans will be thrilled.