76ers vs Celtics odds, prediction: Bet on high scoring game in Boston
The Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics meet for the fourth time this season on Tuesday night, but the first time since Dec. 1. And so much has changed since then – at least for one team in this matchup.
Under normal circumstances, this would be the marquee game on Tuesday’s 11-game NBA slate with two of the top teams in the East set to collide at Boston’s TD Garden.
Instead, oddsmakers are calling for a lopsided affair as the Sixers find themselves tagged as 12-point underdogs while they continue to play in the absence of Joel Embiid.
In their most recent game on Sunday, the Sixers never stood a chance in a home matchup against the Bucks. Philly went down 14 points in the first quarter and was never able to get back in a game it lost by 21.
Their latest performance wasn’t exactly a change of course for this Embiid-less Philly team. The Sixers are 4-10 in their last 14 games, while ranking 24th in offensive rating and 29th in defensive rating during that span – with seven of those losses coming by double digits.
The Celtics, meanwhile, have been the best team in the East from Day 1. They currently hold a 7.5-game lead over the Cavaliers in the East, and simply refuse to take their foot off the gas.
Boston has a league-best record of 26-6 since New Year’s Day, ranking in the top three in both offensive and defensive rating during that time frame as well as overall on the season.
Over the years, the Celtics have been constructed to win games at the defensive end of the floor, and that’s exactly what they did early this season. Boston still managed to post a 14-4 record in November despite ranking ninth in scoring and offensive rating for the month.
The Celtics are more dangerous now than they’ve ever been in the Jayson Tatum era – and that’s saying something for a team that has reached five of the last seven Eastern Conference Finals.
Not only have they continued to succeed at the defensive end of the floor, but they’ve also blossomed into the most dangerous offense in basketball as well.
Since Dec. 1, the Celtics lead the NBA in scoring and offensive rating by a considerable margin, ranking fourth in 3-point percentage on the most attempts in the league over the last three months – 39% on 42.3 attempts per game.
Despite the Celtics’ torrid pace on offense, the total for Tuesday night’s matchup opened at 229.5. That can be attributed to the Sixers scoring 104 points or less in their last four games against the Heat, Knicks and Cavaliers – teams that rank bottom-10 in the league in pace.
Prior to their last four games, however, the Sixers scored 119-plus points in five of seven contests to open February (all without Embiid), while also surrendering 120-plus points in five of those affairs.
Expect another ugly loss by Philadelphia in a high-scoring game where the Celtics push the pace and the Sixers keep up long enough to push the total over.
Pick: Over 231.5 (-110 at FanDuel)
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