Philadelphia 76ers vs. Boston Celtics Game 1 Prediction, NBA Odds
However, the Sixers look likely to be without the services of their biggest star Joel Embiid, who suffered a knee injury during the club’s first round sweep of the Brooklyn Nets. The Celtics return home to open this Eastern Conference matchup after wrapping up their first round series against Atlanta with a 128-120 road win in Game 6 on Thursday night.
With Embiid on the shelf, the Celtics have made steady gains since opening as 7-point favourites, rocketing to their current position as 10-point chalk. The 76ers lag as lengthy +386 road underdogs on the Monday NBA odds, while the total is pegged at 214.
76ers vs. Celtics NBA Playoff Betting Odds
Monday night’s matchup at TD Garden marks the fifth overall meeting of the season between these long-time Eastern Conference rivals. The Celtics took three of four from Philly during the regular season, and have covered in five straight dates with the Sixers. However, it was the 76ers who claimed victory in their most recent clash, a narrow 103-101 home victory back on April 4.
This marks the first playoff clash between these clubs since the Celtics swept the Sixers in the first round in 2020. Overall, Boston has claimed series victories in each of their past five postseason matchups with the Sixers and are 9-1 straight up in their past 10 head-to-head meetings in the playoffs. Embiid’s absence and Boston’s track record of dominance are reflected in the NBA playoff series prices, where the Celtics are perched as -455 chalk while the 76ers lag as distant +301 longshots.
Philadelphia 76ers
The Sixers dominated in their first-round tilt with the Brooklyn Nets, claiming victory by an average margin of 13.8 points during their four-game sweep. However, they have come nowhere close to that level of success in second round action, exiting the playoffs in five appearances since their last march to the NBA Finals way back in 2001.
The absence of Embiid did not slow down the 76ers in Game 4 against the Nets. With Embiid on the sidelines nursing a knee sprain that is reportedly far more serious than first believed, the supporting cast stepped up and erased an 11-point Nets lead in the third quarter on their way to complete their first sweep in a best-of-7 series since 1985. Paul Reed took on greater responsibility under the bucket in Embiid’s absence, pulling down 15 rebounds to go along with 10 points for his sixth double-double of the season. Tyrese Maxey led the club in scoring during the series with 21.8 points per game. And while James Harden contributed 17 points and 11 assists, he has struggled with accuracy, converting under 25% of field goal attempts twice in his past three games.
Boston Celtics
The Celtics faced a feisty opponent in the upstart Atlanta Hawks in first round action. After getting dominated in the first two games of the series, the Hawks gave Boston no end of trouble with a revitalized offense that lit up the Celtics for an average of 122.5 over the final four games of the series. The Celtics struggled to contain Atlanta out of the gate, with Hawks shooters averaging 30.5 points in the first quarter over the final four games.
The duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown proved to be the difference for Boston. Tatum has emerged as an early -139 favourite to claim Eastern Conference finals MVP honours after racking up team highs with 27.2 points and 10.0 rebounds per game so far in the postseason. Brown has contributed 26.7 points per game, and has dropped 30 or more points in flour of his past nine dates with Philadelphia. However, the Celtics are likely to face a 76ers squad taking a defence-first approach without Embiid in the lineup. While that is unlikely to be good enough to pull off the upset, it should prevent this contest from opening with a Celtics rout.
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