Philadelphia 76ers will travel to Boston for a Christmas Day game against Celtics in 2024-2025

The Philadelphia 76ers will once again play on Christmas Day, this time against the defending champion Boston Celtics.

2024 Christmas Day will mark the third consecutive season where the Sixers are featured on the schedule. Last year, they lost to the Miami Heat 119-113 and a season prior, beat the New York Knicks 119-112.

Christmas Day: 76ers at Celtics

NBA Christmas Day games for the 2024-25 season, per sources:

🎄Spurs at Knicks
🎄Timberwolves at Mavericks
🎄76ers at Celtics
🎄Lakers at Warriors
🎄Nuggets at Suns

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 9, 2024

Playing on the road in Boston of all places, is definitely a bummer for the 76ers but it’s hard to argue against having a premiere matchup between two of the Eastern Conference’s best on Christmas – regardless of where it’s being played.

While Joel Embiid is on record saying that the Sixers and Celtics no longer have a traditional rivalry because “[Boston] always kicks our ass” – the two NBA franchises bring a ton of history to the Christmas Day slate.

Last season, the Celtics beat Philadelphia in their regular season series 3-1 – granted Joel Embiid on the bench with an injury for two of those matchups. After the 76ers stunned Boston 106-103 in their first meeting, the Celtics won the next three games.

In the playoffs, the Sixers most recently fell to Boston in the 2023 Eastern Conference Semifinals in a blowout Game 7 defeat that cause a chain reaction of changes within the organization.

Here’s to a new NBA season and a fresh slate, right?

They have made a ton of offseason moves, highlighted by signing Paul George, in order to build a championship contender around Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey with the hope of competing atop of the East alongside the reigning NBA champion Boston Celtics.

Mandatory Credit: Copyright 2023 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)