Believe it or not, the Boston Celtics are still the favorite to win this series despite falling short in Game 1. Be sure to stay tuned to our NBA odds series for more on betting around The Association.
James Harden was the talk of Game 1. Without MVP Joel Embiid, the former MVP himself went off for 45 points and hit the game-winning three-pointer over Al Horford with just under 10 seconds to play. The Celtics now have no choice but to win Game 2 in Boston or else they will be in serious trouble heading to Philadelphia.
The Celtics enter Wednesday evening as -7.5 favorites even with Embiid set to return. The Celtics are -148 to win the series while the 76ers are +126.
It's expected that the home team will be the favorite in each game this series. With that said, here are three reasons why you must bet on the Celtics to come back and win this series.
Here are the Celtics-Sixers odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
History
The Celtics and Sixers have a rivalry that dates back to 1949. For the most part, the Celtics have had the upper hand, especially since 2014. Boston has won the last five postseason meetings and the last time was in 2020 when the Celtics swept them in four games.
The Sixers have a tough time taking down the Celtics when it matters but winning Game 1 in Boston on Monday night may have given them the confidence that they are capable of doing so.
This season, Boston is 41-10 overall when they allow fewer than 115.2 points. The Sixers average 115.2 points per game, so if the Celtics can keep them below their average, then odds are the Celtics will find a way to win.
Defense
Over the last few seasons, Boston contained one of the top defensive units in the NBA. Marcus Smart won the 2021-22 NBA Defensive Player of the Year award and really led the team on the defensive end. Robert Williams has battled injuries all year long but will now have the biggest task of the year, and that is trying to contain the MVP. With the additions of Derrick White and Malcolm Brogdon, Smart has more help in the backcourt and of course, both Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown defend at a high level.
The Celtics are playing their best when they are giving opponents fits protecting the rim. Williams will play a lot more minutes and the Celtics as a team know that with Embid back, they must step it up a level. So far in this postseason, Boston has cruised by waiting to have a reason to turn up the intensity. Now is that time.
The Jays
There is no doubt about it. The biggest reason why you must bet on this team to win the series is the dynamic duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Once again, they are on a scoring tear as both players give defenders a tough time when guarded upon. Tatum is averaging 28.9 points per game in the playoffs and Brown is right behind him at 26.1 per game.
In Game 1, we saw Tatum dominate the first half as he finished with 25 points. He ended with 39 and shot 80% from deep and 56% for the game. Brown did not have a great second half of the game but finished with 23 points and shot 80% from the field. Yes … you read that right. Brown ended 8-10 from the floor and should have been more ball dominant in the second half of that game.
When Tatum and Brown are playing well late in the game, then there won't be much the Sixers will be able to do to stop them. I expect Embiid to play extremely well even though he is dealing with an injury, but I don't expect Harden to drop 45 points again this series.
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