Subscribe
Follow Us
The NBA continues Tuesday night with this elite Eastern Conference matchup! It's time to continue our NBA odds series with a Celtics-76ers prediction and pick.
The Celtics are one of the hottest teams in the NBA right now. It took them about 40 games into the season to get hot, but nonetheless, are getting the job done now winning eight straight games. Boston is (33-25) on the season which is good for 6th in the East. The Philadelphia 76ers are two games ahead of Boston with a (34-22) record. The Sixers are 4th in the East and are coming off a huge win over the Cleveland Cavaliers last time out.
Click here for our Risk Free $1000 Bet!
*To claim, new users need to register, make a first deposit, and then simply place their first real-money wager on FanDuel Sportsbook up to $1000! If a user loses their first wager, we’ll refund their loses in the form of a free-bet up to $1000!*
Here are the Celtics-76ers NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NBA Odds: Celtics-76ers Odds
Boston Celtics: -2.5 (-110)
Philadelphia 76ers: +2.5 (-110)
Over: 210 (-110)
Under: 210 (-110)
*Watch NBA Games LIVE with fuboTV (click for free trial)
Why The Celtics Could Cover The Spread
The Celtics are hot at the right time. Right as the All-Star break is coming up, the Celtics have won nine of their last 10 games with the top defense in the NBA during that span. The Celtics are holding opponents to just 94.3 points per game over that span. Philadelphia has shown elite defense as well holding opponents to just 102 points in their last 10. This will be a defensive showdown as these matchups usually are between these two rivals. The winner of this game will be the one who pulls away at the end because it's going to be neck-and-neck the whole way.
The Celtics will need to try and contain Joel Embiid, who is the MVP frontrunner right now. He is coming off a 40-point performance against a good defensive team in the Cavs. James Harden is currently listed as day-to-day for now and won't make his Sixers' debut until after the All-Star break. That leaves Embiid and Tobias Harris as the two to focus on. Offensively, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown need to continue to ball, or else the Sixers will dominate them. Philadelphia won the last matchup back on Jan 15.
Why The 76ers Could Cover The Spread
The 76ers will be going up against the toughest defense in the NBA right now. Marcus Smart, Brown, Tatum, Robert Williams, Derrick White are all elite defenders in the NBA. Those five are usually all on the court at the same time so the Sixers need to find a way to attack them and not let the Celtics force turnovers. Boston is one of the best teams in the NBA at forcing turnovers and have been for years. You may not like how Smart does it, but he forces a lot of opponents to turn the ball over or make bad plays when being guarded by him.
Philadelphia will need to do everything in their power to contain Brown and Tatum, as Tatum scored 38 in the win over the Atlanta Hawks last time out. The Celtics only played eight players in the win so they could play their starters a majority of the game here. If Philadelphia can get the Celtics to commit fouls then that will force them to make changes, which will benefit the Sixers.
Final Celtics-76ers Prediction & Pick
This is an interesting spread. The 76ers are playing well and are at home where they are the underdogs. The Celtics haven't lost in eight games and I think that streak ends tonight. Take the Sixers to cover this spread at home and defeat their rivals after a huge performance from Embiid.
Final Celtics-76ers Prediction & Pick: 76ers +2.5 (-110)
