76ers vs. Celtics Prediction: NBA Odds, Point Spread
The bitter rival Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics meet for the final time this regular season in the marquee matchup of Saturday’s NBA schedule.
NBA Point Spread and Betting Analysis
It’s of course Super Bowl Weekend, and we would be remiss if we didn’t mention that Philadelphia and Boston (area) are home to the past two NFL champions. The New England Patriots of course beat the Los Angeles Rams last year and the Philadelphia Eagles upset the Patriots the year before. Both the Eagles and Patriots lost at home in the Divisional Round of this season’s NFL playoffs.
The 76ers and Celtics can’t meet in the NBA Finals but potentially in the Eastern Conference Finals. The Milwaukee Bucks are running away with the NBA’s best record and are clear East favourites, but both Philadelphia and Boston are talented enough to win the East if things break right.
These teams won’t play again until the 2020-21 regular season after Saturday if they don’t meet in the post-season as this wraps up the regular-season series with Philadelphia looking to complete the four-game sweep. The one game in Boston was on Dec. 12 when the Sixers won 115-109. Joel Embiid dominated that night with 38 points and 13 rebounds. He’s averaging 26.5 points and 13.0 rebounds in the two he has played vs. Boston. Tobias Harris is averaging 18 points and 10 rebounds. Celtics point guard Kemba Walker is averaging 22.3 points against the Sixers.
Boston is 11-5 against the spread (ATS) in the past 16 meetings.
Philadelphia 76ers
This summarizes the 76ers this season: They trounced the Lakers last Saturday and the Warriors on Tuesday, both in Philadelphia, but then lost by 127-117 at a bad Atlanta team on Thursday. The Sixers are almost invincible at home and way below .500 on the road. Embiid had 21 points and 14 rebounds in the loss; he had returned Tuesday after missing nine due to knee surgery. Ben Simmons, named an All-Star reserve (deservedly so) on Thursday, had 31 points, six rebounds and five assists vs. Atlanta despite playing through an illness. Big man Al Horford sat with a sore left knee but it was considered just a day of rest. Josh Richardson has been out over a week with a left hamstring strain and isn’t close to a return. The Sixers are 1-7 ATS in their past eight on the road.
Boston Celtics
After a big win in Miami on Tuesday, the Celtics avoided a potential trap game Thursday at home against the horrible Warriors with a 119-104 victory. Gordon Hayward continued his recent hot streak with 25 points and eight rebounds. Jayson Tatum, named an All-Star reserve on Thursday, returned from a three-game injury absence and had 20 points and six rebounds. Tatum is the second-youngest player in Celtics history selected for an All-Star Game (Antoine Walker). Centre Enes Kanter missed his fourth in a row due to a hip injury and likely won’t play here.