The Boston Celtics try to avoid a second straight home loss to the Philadelphia 76ers when the two teams match up again in their Eastern Conference semifinal series on Wednesday night. Philadelphia was able to steal Game 1 on the road on Monday to take the early lead in the series.
Boston lost at home for the second straight time in the playoffs and is looking to avoid an 0-2 deficit before the series shifts to Philadelphia for two games. This is the only game on which you can make NBA picks today, so let’s take a closer look at the contest and give our best recommendations for your 76ers vs Celtics betting.
76ers vs Celtics Odds
Philadelphia 76ers vs Boston Celtics Information
Philadelphia 76ers vs Boston Celtics
Location of the game: TD Garden, Boston, MA.
Date & Time: Wednesday, May 3, 2023, 8:00 pm ET
How to watch: TNT
Philadelphia 76ers vs Boston Celtics Recent Scores
Boston dominated in the four matchups with the 76ers in the regular season portion of the NBA schedule, taking the first three before falling by two points in early April in the final meeting. The Celtics have also won the last five playoff series they’ve had with Philadelphia, with the 76ers’ last postseason series win over Boston coming in the 1982 Eastern Conference finals.
Philadelphia 76ers at Boston Celtics Betting Analysis
76ers Hoping To Have MVP On Court
In the off-day between games in this series, Philadelphia center Joel Embiid was announced as this season’s NBA MVP, and he’s hoping to make his first appearance in the series on Wednesday after missing Game 1. His absence didn’t hurt the 76ers scores in the postseason so far, as they’ve gone 2-0 while he’s sat with a knee injury.
Guard James Harden was masterful in Game 1, finishing with 45 points and six assists in leading Philadelphia to the victory. Harden was tops in NBA player stats in the regular season for assists, averaging 10.7 per game, but he took on more of a scoring role with Embiid sidelined.
Philadelphia had four other double-figure scorers in Game 1 as well, and they’ll need that kind of scoring balance even if Embiid can go. Boston was among the tops in the league in scoring defense in the NBA team stats, so it will try to shut down Embiid and Harden and make others beat it.
Celtics Need Bounce-Back Performance
Boston got a big game from Jayson Tatum in Game 1, as he went for 39 points, 11 rebounds, and five assists, but the rest of the team combined had just 76 points. The Celtics must have more scoring from everyone if they’re going to win one of the NBA matchups between high-powered offenses.
Guard Jaylen Brown finished with 23 points, six rebounds, and four assists, but he also turned the ball over four times. Guard Marcus Smart had his struggles as well, committing six turnovers in 35 minutes.
Updates
We expect Embiid to be a game-time decision, which makes your 76ers vs Celtics betting a little difficult to do until his status is known. On the Celtics injury report, we consider Smart as a game-time decision, as he’s been dealing with a chest contusion.
Philadelphia 76ers at Boston Celtics Betting Preview
Spread: Looking at the NBA odds today, the host Celtics are favored in Game 2, giving 7.5 points on a point-spread bet. You can get -110 odds for either team on that wager.
Moneyline: If your 76ers vs Celtics betting involves a moneyline bet, you can take Boston at -325 or Philadelphia at +265 for a straight-up win.
Over/Under: The over/under is at 217 points, with -110 odds available for either side of that bet.
Philadelphia 76ers at Boston Celtics Betting Prediction
The NBA playoffs schedule has made this the only game on the slate on Wednesday, and this should be a good one.
- Philadelphia shocked Boston in the opener and could have Embiid back, but we like the Celtics to get things going in this one and cover the spread in a high-scoring affair.
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