Boston Celtics vs Philadelphia 76ers betting tips and predictions for Wednesday’s NBA game on ESPN. We have a battle between the 3rd seed and the 1st seed in the Eastern Conference as the 76ers travel to Boston to take on the Celtics. Read on for all our free predictions and betting tips.
Boston Celtics
Although 3 games currently separate these two teams in the standings, the number one seed in the East is very much still in play. The Celtics won the first meeting of the season by 9 points back in the early going of the season, they’re pretty much owned this match-up in games played at TD Garden with 16 wins in 20 games.
They received some good news ahead of tonight’s game with the return of Jaylen Brown who missed the game in Detroit with an illness. Robert Williams III is also scheduled to return after a minor ankle injury, his presence on the inside could be crucial in slowing down Joel Embiid here. Boston hasn’t covered the spread as much as their fans would have preferred lately, they’re only 2-7 ATS in their last 9 games.
Philadelphia 76ers
The 76ers have also been in a good groove ahead of tonight’s game, although a loss at Madison Square Garden in their last game has ruined the mood a bit. Philly led by 21 points early in that game, but managed to score just 97 points total, one of their lowest offensive outputs of the season. They’ll look to make amends tonight in Boston, with a 8-1 SU record over their last 9 road games they might have a shot here.
Philly has also covered in 6 of 9 games overall and with no major injury concerns right now they are in a prime position to continue their push for the top spot in the Eastern Conference. Joel Embiid is still bothered by his lingering foot injury, but he should be able to suit up here.
Boston won’t have Marcus Smart once again here, that means one less elite defender James Harden has to deal with. I think the Sixers make amends for the loss at MSG with a big win here, back Philly on the road.
Boston Celtics vs Philadelphia 76ers Predictions & Odds
Not a lot of defense was played when these two teams met at the start of the season back in late October as we saw a final score of 126-117. That result was an outlier if we compare it to the last 10 meetings where an average of just 213.3 points per game were scored. The O/U numbers have trended in a high scoring direction with the 3 most recent meetings all cashing on that, so we could be headed into another one of those games tonight.
Hardly anyone plays any real defense these days in the NBA, the Celtics are 18-9 on the O/u at home, while the 76ers have gone 15-9 on the road. With 2 of the last 5 Celtics games going into overtime, there could be some tired legs out there on defense, so I think backing the over is the best way to approach this game.
