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Andrew Rogers
Celtics vs. 76ers: Game 3 Prediction, NBA Playoff Odds
The Philadelphia 76ers have been punched in the mouth twice – and bettors and fans alike are curious to see how they bounce back as their Eastern Conference second-round series with the Boston Celtics shifts to the City of Brotherly Love for Game 3 on Saturday evening. The Celtics did what they needed to do, winning the first two games at home to become a slight series favourite at -143 – but they’re considered quite a longshot to prevail in this NBA matchup.
NBA Point Spread and Betting Analysis
The 76ers are big-time faves in this one as they look to bounce back from a subpar effort at both ends of the court in the first two games. Oddsmakers still have tremendous faith in Philadelphia, with a six-game 76ers victory providing the best odds of any potential series outcome at +200. The 76ers have been a beast on their own court of late, successfully covering in 21 of their previous 28 games at Wells Fargo Center.
Both teams are trending heavily toward the over, an extension of a league-wide trend so far in the postseason. Boston has gone above the total in 13 of its previous 16 games overall, and is 8-1 O/U in its last nine following a straight-up victory. Philadelphia has gone over the total in eight of its previous 11 games against Eastern Conference opponents, and is a solid 4-0 O/U in its past four games after failing to cover in its previous contest.
Boston Celtics
The Celtics might have the edge in the series odds, but you wouldn’t know it by looking at the “correct series score” prop. Boston is a whopping +2,200 to complete the sweep, +500 to win in five games, +900 to prevail in six games and +330 to advance in seven. That said, Boston has enjoyed tremendous success at Wells Fargo Center of late, successfully covering in six of their previous eight visits to Philadelphia.
Philadelphia 76ers
One point – that showing by electrifying point guard Ben Simmons in Game 3 was the subject of hundreds of memes – but Simmons has bounced back nicely from subpar scoring efforts as a rookie, averaging 15.6 points in nine games after being held to single digits in his previous contest. That extra scoring could make a big difference for the 76ers, who are listed at -118 to over their Game 3 team total of 107.5.
