Philadelphia 76ers vs Boston Celtics betting tips and predictions for Friday’s NBA Playoffs game on ESPN. The series lead is at stake tonight in Philadelphia as the 76ers and Celtics clash with each team winning a game so far. Read on for all our free predictions and betting tips.
Philadelphia 76ers
Getting back the MVP Joel Embiid didn’t yield the result the Sixers were hoping for in Game 2 as they got destroyed 121-87. Embiid took just 9 shots on the night, ending it with 15 points total. He also blocked 5 shots in 27 minutes of play, it will be interesting to see if the knee injury limits him in the home game tonight as well. After dropping 45 points in the series opener, James Harden had a disappointing night with just 12 points on 2-for-14 shooting.
Tonight’s game will be different though, Embiid will receive his MVP trophy before the game and the arena will be buzzing. The Sixers are 5-1 SU in their last 6 games at home, they’ve also covered the spread in 6 of their last 8 overall, which is encouraging considering the oddsmakers have them as 2-point underdogs tonight.
Boston Celtics
You won’t often see the Boston Celtics come out on top in a game in which their best player Jayson Tatum scores just 7 points on 1-for-7 shooting in just 19 minutes of action. That’s exactly what happened on Wednesday. Luckily for Boston fans it was Jaylen Brown and Malcolm Brogdon who stepped up with 25 and 23 points, doing most of the heavy lifting on offense.
As a team the Celtics knocked down 20 threes, a stark contrast compared to the series opener where their defense just took a night off. Now the pressure is on them to get a split over the next 2 games, they’ve won 5 of the last 7 meetings against Philadelphia, while covering the spread in 6 of those games. During the season so far they are 27-17 SU in road games, which is one of the best marks in the entire NBA.
Game 2 showed us just how good the Celtics can be in this series. I’m expecting a similar performance tonight, although I doubt Philadelphia will be that bad on offense. I still see Boston coming out on top in a tight game though, so back the Cs to cover the spread here.
Philadelphia 76ers vs Boston Celtics Predictions & Odds
The Sixers know they cannot run with Boston like they did in Game 1, they just don’t have the depth on their roster to hang with them. Slowing the pace down will be the game plan here, especially with Joel Embiid still being bothered by his knee injury which limits his mobility severely. During the regular season the Sixers won only 1 game against Boston and in that game we saw just 204 points scored, with a huge emphasis on defense shown by both teams.
Tonight’s projected total is at 214 points which is in line with the first 2 games, the two teams are averaging 212.9 points per game in the last 10 meetings with a 4-6 record on the O/U. The Sixers have gone under in 4 or 5 games overall, plus in 4 of the last 5 meetings vs Boston. Expect a defensive battle tonight in Philadelphia, I’ll be taking the under in this game.
