Boston Celtics will play 76ers in London next January
The Boston Celtics will travel to London next January to take on the Philadelphia 76ers, and Tatum-Fultz will be a huge storyline there.
The NBA announced on Thursday that the Boston Celtics will face the Philadelphia 76ers in a regular season game in London this season.
Boston and Philly will square off on January 11. 2018 at London’s O2 Arena. One of the main storylines for the game will, of course, be how the Celtics passed on Markelle Fultz to select Jayson Tatum instead.
The Celtics had the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA Draft, but they chose to trade it to the 76ers for the No. 3 pick and a 2018 or 2019 first round pick. Jayson Tatum recently revealed that Boston would have selected him even if they maintained the No. 1 pick.
While 2017 won’t provide us with the answer as to if Boston made the right choice, it will be interesting to see those two rookies face one another. Fultz is being asked to help carry a franchise that has been in rebuild mode, while Tatum will fill a bench role for a reloaded Celtics squad.
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Celtics Team President Rich Gotham is excited for the team to travel to London once again.
"“The Boston Celtics have enjoyed a loyal global following for decades, and we welcome the opportunity to connect again with our international fans. We’re happy to be returning to London to play our rivals the 76ers in front of London’s fans, and look forward to the exciting atmosphere and experience that this event will offer.”"
Boston will likely be fighting for the top seed in the Eastern Conference once again, while Philadelphia just hopes to finally make the playoffs with a young core led by Fultz, Dario Saric, Ben Simmons, and Joel Embiid.
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The Celtics have simply reloaded, with the addition of Gordon Hayward to go alongside Isaiah Thomas, Al Horford, Jae Crowder, and Jaylen Brown. Boston also added Marcus Morris to their lineup or bench. No matter how things shake out between Fultz and Tatum, this will be a fun game to watch in the middle of the NBA season.