Boston Celtics vs Philadelphia 76ers betting tips and predictions for Monday’s NBA Playoffs game on TNT. It’s a big night at TD Garden as the Celtics and Sixers start off their Eastern Conference semifinals. Read on for all our free predictions and betting tips.
Boston Celtics
It took 2 games longer than expected, but the Boston Celtics were able to move on from their series against the Atlanta Hawks and now the real deal begins. They take on Joel Embiid and the 76ers in Round 2, a team they’ve thoroughly dominated in recent match-ups and beaten in the last 2 Playoffs series in 2018 and 2020.
However, that doesn’t guarantee the Celtics will do well here, no matter how big of a favorite the oddsmakers make you, you still have to go out there and perform. Boston opens as a 10-point favorite in Game 1, their last 4 games vs Atlanta were all decided within 10 points, so at first glance that number does look a tad too high for me.
Philadelphia 76ers
One of the biggest reasons why the number is so high is because of the news coming out of Philadelphia. Joel Embiid’s knee sprain hasn’t gotten any better since the series against Brooklyn, in fact he didn’t even practice with the team this weekend which is alarming considering the 76ers haven’t played in over a week since sweeping the Brooklyn Nets.
Head coach Doc Rivers labelled Embiid as doubtful to play on Monday, losing him would be a devastating blow as Philly got an average of 36.8 points and almost 12 rebounds per game from him in meetings with the Celtics during the regular season. Philly has failed to cover the spread in 5 straight vs the Celtics, but they are 4-1 SU in their last 5 road games overall, so maybe that gives them a bit of optimism ahead of the series opener.
Despite them not being convincing against Atlanta, I’m still going with Boston here. They are still an elite team and now have home court advantage throughout the playoffs. Blowing out the 76ers without their best player would send a message that they mean business. I’ll take the Cs to cover.
Boston Celtics vs Philadelphia 76ers Predictions & Odds
No Embiid basically means a much higher tempo for Philadelphia than with him in the line-up. In 16 games he missed during the regular season, Embiid’s team averaged 118.4 points per game which is a clear indicator of their style of play when he’s not out there. Plus, on the road this team is 23-20 on the O/U this season which should also impact the amount of points that are scored here.
Boston went 26-17-1 at TD Garden on the O/U this season, their last 4 of 5 games in the series vs Atlanta all went over with some huge point totals by both teams. The projected total is at a relatively low 213.5 total points for Game 1, the 3 most recent meetings averaged less points than that, however I wouldn’t put too much emphasis on those results as Embiid was on the floor and defense was a priority for both teams. Look for the tempo to go up in tonight’s game, back the over.
