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The NBA season carries on with a week six matchup between the Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics. Our NBA odds series continues with a 76ers-Celtics prediction and pick.
After one of the most impressive wins of the season in the NBA as a whole on Monday night, the Philadephia 76ers strung together a pretty rough encore performance. With Joel Embiid sidelined due to an illness, the 76ers allowed Zion Williamson to shoot 11-12 from the field to go on for 33 points in this 124-114 beatdown. Philadelphia was down by as many as 29 points and never held a lead in this game. Although Tyrese Maxey had a great night on the floor with 33 points, the team as a whole provided little support. They will need to shake this game off to focus on the task at hand as they are matched against the best team in the NBA, the Boston Celtics.
Plain and simple, the Boston Celtics have been unequivocally the most dominant team in the NBA this season. They decimated the Chicago Bulls on the road in their most recent showing. They had to win and win big in order to secure a spot in the In-Season tournament, and they did exactly that. The Celtics 27 point win was fueled by Jaylen Brown, who scored 30 points and had eight rebounds and six assists. With this squad looking like an all-time team, they will be tested as the Philadelphia 76ers come to town.
Here are the NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NBA Odds: 76ers-Celtics Odds
Philadelphia 76ers: +7 (-112)
Boston Celtics: -7 (-108)
Over: 224.5 (-110)
Under: 224.5 (-110)
How to Watch 76ers vs. Celtics
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. PT
Article Continues Below
TV: ESPN
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why The 76ers Could Cover The Spread
With a group of big men led by Joel Embiid, the Philadelphia 76ers have one of the league's most physical and intense interiors. With a roster loaded with bigs like Nicolas Batum, Tobias Harris, Marcus Morris Sr., Robert Covington, Paul Reed, KJ Martin, and Mo Bamba, this team is among the most paint-dominant teams in the NBA. The 76ers rank ninth in the league in rebounds per game with 45.3. Additionally, they are fourth in the league in blocks per game. With 6.3 blocks per game, this is where that length is felt the most. Seeing as Kristaps Porzingis is sidelined for the Celtics, it leaves them a little undersized. With or without Embiid, the 76ers will take advantage of this and dominate the Celtics in the paint on both ends of the floor.
One more area Embiid has propelled the 76ers to the top of the league is free throw shooting. Not only does Philadelphia make their free throws in high quantity, but their efficiency is unmatched. The 76ers rank first in the league in free throws made per game with 23.8. A whole 1.7 made free throws higher than second place. They also rank first in team free throw percentage at 85.6%. If Boston gets into foul trouble, the 76ers will quickly run up the score because they do not miss out on free points at the line.
Why The Celtics Could Cover The Spread
The biggest reason the Celtics have been able to run up the score on their opponents is their deadly three-point shooting. A full team effort has led the Celtics to rank second in the league in threes made per game with 15.6. With four guys making 2.0 threes or more per game, they make defenses pay for lapses in coverage. Even if the 76ers can run the Celtics away from the three-point line, Philadelphia's mid-range defense has been terrible. From 16-24 feet from the basket, the 76ers are allowing the third-highest field goal percentage in the league. Look for Boston's sharpshooters to have a field day in this one.
Not only does Boston have one of the better shooting teams in the league, but they also have arguably the best defense. The Celtics are in the top ten in the league in almost every major defensive category. Boston ranks in the top ten in defensive rebounds per game; opponents points off of turnovers, fastbreaks, second chance points, and points in the paint. This has led to them holding the second-best defensive rating in the NBA. This is the most complete team in the league, and it is tough to imagine the 76ers keeping up on Boston's turf.
Final 76ers-Celtics Prediction & Pick
Another installation of one of the best rivalries in the NBA will surely be a good one. These teams possess two of the top six best records in the league and have been fun to watch all season. This is the third matchup already this season between these teams, with the series split at 1-1. Although the 76ers always play better as underdogs and have a more physical team than the Celtics, especially inside the paint, I will go with the Celtics. They are just the perfect all-around team. Boston will stifle you on defense and then go down and nail three after three with ease to run the score up before halftime. With a much healthier roster as well in this one, I am leaning toward the favorite in this game. Give me the Boston Celtics against the spread at home in this one.
Final 76ers-Celtics Prediction & Pick: Boston Celtics -7 (-108)
