Jaylen Brown faces Boston as the East's top two teams meet

Jaylen Brown gets his first regular-season game against the Boston Celtics since they traded him to Philadelphia in July, and the game matters on its own: the 76ers (9-2) host the Celtics (8-2), the top two teams in the Eastern Conference.

Their last competitive meeting came in May, when Philadelphia completed a comeback from 3-1 down in the first round, winning Game 7 109-100 in Boston on May 2. Joel Embiid had 34 points and 12 rebounds and Tyrese Maxey added 30. Brown scored 33 for Boston, which played without Jayson Tatum after he was ruled out hours before tip-off with knee stiffness. It was Philadelphia's first playoff series win over Boston since 1982.

That summer Boston sent Brown to Philadelphia for Paul George and draft picks. Brown has played down the occasion. Asked whether he would speak to Tatum before the game, he said: "He's on his side, I'm on my side."

Tatum leads Boston at 27.1 points and 7.8 assists a game, and the Celtics arrive on a three-game winning streak. Maxey leads Philadelphia at 26.9 points a game on a roster that now also includes LeBron James, while center Adem Bona is out with a back injury. The market makes Boston a narrow 52% favorite on the road. ESPN's matchup predictor leans the other way, at 52.3% for Philadelphia.

Does Boston deserve to be favored against the team that ended its season?