Philadelphia 76ers vs. Boston Celtics Game 2 Prediction, Odds
The Sixers shocked the Celtics with a 119-115 comeback victory in Game 1 on Monday night, and now ride a seven-game straight up win streak. The Celtics finished second overall in the NBA standings during the regular season, but have struggled while losing three of their past five including two straight home contests.
The 76ers Game 1 victory has failed to give them a lift on the Wednesday NBA odds, where they are pegged as 10-point underdogs and a distant +376 moneyline bet to seize a 2-0 series lead, while the total is pegged at 216.5. The Celtics remain perched as strong -200 favorites on the NBA playoff series prices, well ahead of Philadelphia, which lags as a +147 longshot. Boston also continued to lead the way as +183 chalk on the NBA championship odds.
76ers vs. Celtics NBA Betting Odds
With Monday’s win, the 76ers have now topped the Celtics in consecutive meetings after falling to defeat in each of their previous four dates. In addition, the Sixers sport a respectable 3-3 straight up record in their past six visits to TD Garden. Monday’s victory also marked Philadelphia’s second straight outright victory while pegged as underdogs by 10 or more points, and have covered in three straight as double-digit dogs, with each of those wins coming on the road.
Philadelphia 76ers
No Joel Embiid, no problem for the 76ers as they drew first blood in this clash of longtime Eastern Conference rivals. Embiid has been sidelined by a knee injury that is reportedly much serious than first suspected, and is expected to miss his third straight game on Wednesday night. But with the NBA MVP candidate out of the lineup, James Harden stepped up to fill the void in Game 1, dropping a game-high 45 points including a step back three-pointer in the dying seconds that proved to be the winner.
In addition to equaling his career high in the playoffs, Harden also turned in his highest scoring performance of the season on Monday after averaging just 17.3 points per game in the team’s first round sweep of Brooklyn. Paul Reed also continued his strong play under the bucket, pulling down 13 rebounds and has now averaged 14 boards while filling in for Embiid over the past two games.
Boston Celtics
Jayson Tatum once again turned in another sterling performance in Game 1, cementing his perch as the favourite to win NBA Finals MVP honours with a 39-point, 11-rebound performance. Tatum has now recorded 29 or more points in four of his first seven appearances of the postseason, and has recorded double-doubles on five occasions including each of the past two games.
Jaylen Brown picked up a respectable 23 points in Game 1, ending a run of three straight 30+ point performances. However, injuries remain a concern for Brown, who found his way on to the Game 1 injury report due to his recent facial fracture. Brown is also reportedly dealing with a groin injury, but is listed as probable for Wednesday. Marcus Smart is listed as questionable due to a chest contusion after recording just 12 points in Game 1. But while these injuries have come at a bad time for Boston, the Celtics remain well positioned to even the series against Philly in Game 2.
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