The Celtics looked like their best selves ahead of the All-Star break, winning seven of eight games to shake off some midseason malaise. But the break itself always features at least some challenges as players disperse to get rest and recover for an entire week.

The Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers open the second half of their NBA season Thursday night with a head-to-head matchup in Philly. The game is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. ET with TV coverage on TNT and streaming on-demand.

While things seem to be shaping up for the Philadelphia 76ers at the guard position, the Sixers’ frontcourt picture is much more muddled. Any discussion there has to start with Joel Embiid. It used to be the case that the Sixers had a perennial MVP candidate at the center position and the biggest problem was how to fill the 10 minutes per game when he needed to rest on the bench.

The Philadelphia 76ers had a chance to begin a late-season playoff push on Thursday, returning from the All-Star break with as clean a bill of health as they could hope for and a home date with the Boston Celtics on the schedule.