Бостън и Филаделфия тренират преди мача си в Лондон

The Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76s - two of the NBA's in-form sides - trained in London on Wednesday (January 10) ahead of their showdown on Thursday night, in front of an expectant crowd.

Fans have flooded into the British capital from across Europe, excited at the prospect of two of the league's brightest young teams going head to head.

The Celtics - led by free agent acquisition Kyrie Irving - have been the surprise story of the season, rebounding from losing star player Gordon Hayward five minutes into the season to lead the Eastern Conference with a 33-10 record.

They face the 19-19 76ers, who are battling for the play-off spots behind the Celtics in the Eastern Conference, and come into the game off the back of four consecutive wins.

However, the Celtics themselves have won six in a row and Irving, speaking at a media day ahead of the game, believes his team are refreshed and ready to deal with the 76ers and their rookie sensation Ben Simmons.

"We have been off for about three days now and so the guys are pretty fresh, ready to get back out there, focus on the game and prepare as we always do. Demand excellence and go and put on a show," said Irving, who joined the Celtics in the summer from the Cleveland Cavaliers.

"Those guys are so young and active and they do a great job of getting to their spots, lead by Ben Simmons. He does a great job about getting everybody involved and being aggressive."

"For us, we just have to bring our unique intensity on the defensive end and make it uncomfortable and really give the fans a show. Bring the Celtic pride over here to London."

For the 76ers, much has been made of their maligned rebuild in recent years, referred to as 'the process'. The process, led by coach Brett Brown, has been a difficult period for 76ers fans, as the team posted losing records for the past five season, including only winning 10 games in 2015-2016.

However, the high draft picks acquired through poor performance has led to an upsurge in performances, led by rookie Simmons and All-Star Joel Embiid.

Both players remain focused on the long-term going into the game with the high-flying Celtics.

"I missed the first year of the process, but I feel like I have seen everything, I have been through everything. I was here when we only won 10 games in a season, which is awful," said Embiid.

"I take it personal too. I think some people might have lost their jobs because of me so every time I am on the court I try and do my best, I give it my all."

"This year we are doing okay, I think we could be so much better. This year we are in the race for the playoff spots and that is our goal, so that is good."

Simmons, seen by most analysts as a shoo-in for Rookie of the Year honours, admitted it takes time to build a great team, but remains excited for the future amid such a young, dynamic squad.

A win in London for the Celtics would see them extend their lead from the Toronto Raptors atop the Eastern Conference as they look to return to the Conference Final for the second consecutive season.