Does History Bode Well for 76ers vs Jaylen Brown-Led Celtics?

The Sixers and the Celtics are slated for a 7:30 PM ET tip Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday night for the season opener.

Heading into the game, Brown was one of two key players on the injury report, dealing with a setback. According to the Celtics, Brown was dealing with a left hamstring strain. It’s been a setback that the Celtics have been monitoring since the end of the 2025 NBA preseason.

Jaylen Brown has been cleared for action.

As the Celtics’ 2025 playoff run was winding down, Tatum went down with an Achilles injjury in the second round against the New York Knicks. Once his setback occurred, it seemed as if Tatum’s 2025-2026 campaign was already over.

While Tatum won’t rule himself out for the year quite yet, the star forward is still way too early in the rehab process to get a chance to play. The Celtics are going to rely heavily on Brown moving forward.

Jaylen Brown vs. 76ers

Throughout his career, Brown has faced the Sixers 31 times, dating back to 2016. The star forward has posted averages of 16.1 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 2.1 assists when facing Philadelphia.

Since Jayson Tatum has been fortunate with good health throughout his career, there haven’t been a ton of Sixers-Celtics battles that didn’t include the duo of Tatum and Brown. Wednesday’s game will be just the third time since 2016 that Brown will face the Sixers without his All-Star teammate.

In the first matchup without Tatum, Brown checked in for 33 minutes on January 20, 2021. He shot 41 percent from the field, producing 26 points in the scoring department. He also came down with five rebounds and dished out three assists.

The second matchup occurred two nights later. In 36 minutes, Brown knocked down 57 percent of his shots from the field, scoring 42 points. He also collected nine rebounds, dished out three assists, and had a block and a steal on the defensive end of the floor.

Jaylen Brown has been cleared for action.

Overall, the Sixers have struggled against the Celtics in recent years. Over the past three seasons, the Celtics have won three out of four matchups against the Sixers. Wednesday night will give the Sixers a chance to start the season on the right foot, getting a leg up on the rivalry.

In both games, the Sixers took care of business with convincing victories.