Philadelphia 76ers vs. Boston Celtics Game 5 Prediction, NBA Playoff Odds
The Boston Celtics can advance to the second round of the NBA playoffs for a fifth straight year with a win on Tuesday night when they host the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 5 of their Eastern Conference first-round series at TD Garden.
The Celtics seized a commanding 3-1 series lead with Sunday’s lopsided 128-96 Game 4 win in Philadelphia, and have now claimed victory in 16 of their past 20 games overall.
The 76ers failed to build on a pair of character performances in Games 2 and 3 that kept this series interesting, and now face the prospect of suffering a sixth straight series loss to the Celtics since 1985.
The Celtics return home as lofty 11.5-point favourites on the Game 5 odds and have emerged as massive -10000 chalk on the NBA series prices. The Sixers trail as +425 underdogs on Tuesday’s NBA odds and have tumbled to a distant +2500 bet to rebound and wins this series. The total for Tuesday’s matchup is pegged at 213.5.
76ers vs. Celtics NBA Betting Odds
It didn’t take long for the Celtics to assert their dominance in Game 4, as they stormed to a 34-18 first-quarter lead and never looked back. Indeed, Boston enjoyed somewhat of an offensive breakthrough in Game 4 after being limited to an average of just 102.5 points while splitting Games 2 and 3. That is bad news for the Sixers, who have now been held to 100 or fewer points three times in the series, generating a 3-1 run for the UNDER so far in this matchup.
The Celtics are also enjoying a steady 11-2 SU run on home court, and while they came up short in a 111-97 defeat in Game 2, they have avoided losses in consecutive home games since the beginning of November.
Conversely, the 76ers have failed to record consecutive road victories during a 3-4 SU run since March 30. With Sunday’s win, the Celtics cemented their position as -110 chalk on the odds to win the East and sit among the favourites as a +425 bet on the NBA championship odds, while the Sixers have tumbled to +500 longshots on the conference championship futures and a +1000 wager to win it all.
Philadelphia 76ers
The return of Joel Embiid failed to provide the 76ers with a much-needed lift in Game 4. Sidelined by an appendectomy that forced him to miss the final three games of the regular season and the first three games of the series, Embiid was one of the few Sixers players to have an impact in Game 4, leading the team with 26 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists.
That performance and the club’s desperate position has left Embiid listed as probable for Game 5, and he should be backed as a -117 bet on the NBA player props to record OVER 34.5 points + rebounds on Tuesday.
Tyrese Maxey remained productive with 22 points and six assists and has now averaged 25.8 points and 7.3 helpers in the series. However, it was not a great night for youngster VJ Edgecombe, who mustered just six points on dismal 22.2 per cent shooting including a 0-for-4 mark from beyond the arc.
Boston Celtics
After struggling to find the mark while shooting just 34.3 per cent during the first the first three games of the series, Payton Pritchard exploded for a game-high 32 points in Game 4, converting 57.1 per cent from the floor including an impressive 6-for 12 on threes.
Pritchard has now connected for 11 threes over the past two games, and is worthy of a value bet as a +600 wager to record 5+ three-pointers on Tuesday night.
Jayson Tatum continued to show no ill effects from his recent injury as he scored 30 points for the first time since late March. With 11 assists, Tatum also tallied his third double-double of the series and his 10th in his past 13 overall outings.
Jaylen Brown scored 20 points in just 31 minutes of playing time, but contributed seven boards for a third straight game and has pulled down 6+ rebounds in 11 of his past 15 outings.
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