Celtics vs. 76ers Odds
| Celtics Odds | +2.5 |
| 76ers Odds | -2.5 |
| Over/Under | 227 |
| Time | 8 p.m. ET |
| TV | TNT |
| Odds via FanDuel. Get up-to-the-minute NBA odds here. | |
The Boston Celtics take a trip to the City of Brotherly Love to take on the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday night.
Boston enters this matchup with plenty of rest, having last played on Friday. That game ended up being an eight-point victory over the Jazz, and prior to that the Celtics beat the Bucks by 41 points.
Philadelphia most recently played on Sunday night against Milwaukee, losing by a final score of 117-104. That loss marked Philly’s fourth loss in its last six games.
With only about a week remaining in the regular season, we could see some teams take their foot off the gas. But this matchup still has plenty of seeding implications for both Boston and Philadelphia.
Stick around to see the odds and prediction for the Boston Celtics vs Philadelphia 76ers matchup.
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Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics ended the month of March red-hot, winning five of the last six games before the calendar flipped to April.
Much of that success can be accredited to what the Celtics had done on the offensive end of the floor. Boston was nearly unstoppable in that six-game stretch, posting a league-best 124.9 Offensive Rating. That is up from Boston’s season rating of 117.3.
That 7.6-point spike was a result of shooting 50.9% from the floor overall and 38.8% from behind the arc, per NBA.com. The perimeter offense in that six-game stretch was among the league’s best, but Boston also got the job done in the paint, where it averaged 55.0 points per game.
That efficiency on the offensive end was complimented with a 104.2 Defensive Rating, the best in the NBA over the last six games. Boston did face some weaker offenses in those games such as San Antonio, but the Celtics managed to hold two of the top offenses in Sacramento and Milwaukee to just 109 and 99 points, respectively.
Everything is going right for Boston at the moment, but the injury report is something to keep an eye on. Robert Williams has already been announced out and Jaylen Brown is questionable with a back injury.
Philadelphia 76ers
Philadelphia ended a three-game losing skid by defeating Dallas and Toronto at home, but shortly after that, the 76ers found themselves back in the loss column after a loss to the Bucks on Sunday night.
The abysmal stretch of basketball has been highlighted by poor play on the defensive end of the floor.
According to NBA.com, the 76ers have posted the fourth worst Defensive Rating in the league across the last six games, coming in at a shocking 123.0. That is up from Philly’s season rating of 112.6, proving signs of distress on that end of the floor.
The main problem for the 76ers in that six-game stretch is replicating their first half production in the final two quarters. Philly is averaging 58.3 points per game in the first half in the last six games, but in the second half that number falls to 52.5.
That drop in production has resulted from massive decreases in shooting efficiency. Philly has shot 51.0% from the floor overall and 42.0% from behind the arc in the first half of the last six games, but just 44.9% and 30.1%, respectively, in the second half, per NBA.com.
Celtics-76ers Pick
The Boston Celtics have handled the 76ers all season long, going a perfect 3-0 in the season series. With Philadelphia trending in the wrong direction and Boston still fighting for the No. 1 overall seed, I think the Celtics have a chance to get the season sweep.
The absence of Williams may make the Celtics vulnerable in the middle, something that is far from ideal when going up against Joel Embiid. However, Williams has missed two of three games against Philly this season and Embiid has averaged 27 points per game in those matchups, down 6.0 points from his season average.
Additionally, Boston has done a great job of minimizing Philly’s biggest strength, which is the 3-pointer. Philadelphia ranks No. 1 in the NBA in 3-point shooting percentage at 38.7%, but against Boston that percentage drops to 34.8%.
Boston has been the better team all season long and has shown to have the upper-hand against Philly. I’m a little hesitant to take Boston outright until Brown’s status becomes more clear, so for now I’ll take the Celtics with the points.
Pick: Celtics +2.5 |
