The Philadelphia 76ers hope their home court will turn things around as they host the Boston Celtics in Game 3 of an Eastern Conference semifinal series on Friday night. Philadelphia was routed in Game 2 on the road, evening the series at a win apiece after two games in Boston.
The Boston Celtics have been up and down in these playoffs, alternating between wins and losses for their last seven games. Before you make your NBA picks today, let’s take a closer look at this game and determine how you should be doing your Celtics vs Sixers betting.
Celtics vs 76ers Odds
Boston Celtics vs Philadelphia 76ers Information
Boston Celtics vs Philadelphia 76ers
Location of the game: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA.
Date & Time: Friday, May 5, 2023, 7:30 pm ET.
How to watch: ESPN
Boston Celtics at Philadelphia 76ers Recent Scores
Boston had the edge on Philadelphia in the season series in the regular-season portion of the NBA schedule, taking three of four matchups.
The 76ers were 1-1 at home against the Celtics, taking the final matchup of the season on April 4.
Boston Celtics at Philadelphia 76ers Betting Analysis
Celtics Look For Consistency
It’s been since the first two games of their first-round series against the Atlanta Hawks that the Celtics have won two straight games in this postseason. They’ve gone back and forth on wins and losses since, but they’ll need to change that soon if they hope to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals.
Boston won Game 2 easily despite leading scorer Jayson Tatum scoring just seven points on 1-of-7 shooting. Guard Jaylen Brown led the way with 25 points, while Sixth Man of the Year Malcolm Brogdon contributed 23 points and six rebounds off the bench.
The Celtics were among the leaders in the NBA team stats for scoring defense in the regular season, allowing 111.4 points, and that defense was swarming in Game 2, holding Philadelphia to just 87 points on 39.2% shooting from the floor.
Should Embiid Be Playing?
The 76ers felt like they were getting a big boost when the leader in NBA player stats in scoring and the NBA MVP, Joel Embiid, returned to play in Game 2. Unfortunately, he wasn’t in his top form, looking out of sync at times and finishing with 15 points and three rebounds after sitting out a pair of games with a knee injury.
Guard James Harden finished with a double-double of 12 points and 10 rebounds, but he wasn’t at the same level as he was in Game 1, going 0-for-6 from 3-point range. Harden must be scoring and playmaking at a high level for the 76ers to have a chance to win this series.
Philadelphia did have four players in double digits in scoring, but it has to have its two stars leading the way, and neither looked good in Game 2.
Updates
The NBA playoffs schedule can be unrelenting when you’re dealing with an injury, so despite playing in Game 2, Embiid is still listed as a game-time decision for Game 3. He’ll need to be better than he was in Game 2 if he’s going to play, but he’ll likely want to power through it and suit up.
Boston Celtics at Philadelphia 76ers Betting Preview
Spread: The NBA odds today have the visiting Celtics as the favorite, as they’re giving two points on a point-spread bet. Both teams are listed at -110 odds on that wager.
Moneyline: If your Celtics vs Sixers betting is going to include a moneyline bet, you can get Boston at -130, while Philadelphia is listed at +110.
Over/Under: The over/under for the game is set at 214.5 points, with -110 odds on either side of that bet.
Boston Celtics at Philadelphia 76ers Betting Prediction
One of the classic NBA matchups continues with what should be a hard-fought Game 3. As much as we’d like to think the 76ers will be helped by the home crowd and put up a fight, our Celtics vs Sixers betting advice is to go with Boston to come up with the easy road win as Tatum bounces back with a big scoring game.
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