76ers vs Celtics Betting Preview: Embiid’s Health Bears Watching
Celtics 7-Point Fav's for Monday's Game 1 in Boston
The second-seeded Boston Celtics will square off against the third-seeded Philadelphia 76ers in the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. Game 1 is scheduled for Monday (7:30 p.m., TNT) at TD Garden.
Boston won the Eastern Conference last year and is coming off a six-game series against Atlanta. While Philadelphia had an easier go of it in the first round, sweeping Brooklyn in four, the health of star center Joel Embiid is a concern.
The Celtics are a comfortable 7-point favorite for Game 1, with moneyline odds of -285. Meanwhile, the 76ers are +240. The over/under is set at 215 points.
Let’s take a closer look at the matchup in our 76ers vs Celtics betting preview.
Brown and Tatum Carrying Boston
As expected, Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum both starred in the series against the seventh-seeded Hawks, averaging 26.7 and 27.2 points, respectively. Five players scored in double figures in the 128-120 series clincher, led by Brown (32 points) and Tatum (30).
Like Atlanta, Philadelphia figures to have its hands full guarding the superstar duo.In four games against the 76ers during the regular season, Tatum averaged 21 points and 9.8 rebounds, while Brown averaged 21.7 points and shot 48.1% from the field.
The Celtics (57-25) also have a lot of depth, which should bode well in a (likely) long and physical series. Malcolm Brogdon — acquired in an offseason trade with the Indiana Pacers — won Sixth Man of the Year, and Derrick White became a fixture in the starting lineup. Boston finished the regular season ranked second in the conference and fourth in the NBA standings in points per game (117.9), while also rating second defensively.
Boston is now the top-remaining seed in the East after the Miami Heat upset the Milwaukee Bucks in five games. As such, the Celtics are favored to win not only the conference at -175 but also the NBA championship at +160. The Celtics lost the Finals in six games last year to the Golden State Warriors.
76ers Well-Rested, Waiting On Embiid
Philadelphia, the only team to sweep its first-round series, will have had eight days off on the NBA schedule since eliminating Brooklyn. The 76ers (54-28) won by an average of 11.2 points, with the closest finish coming in a 102-97 victory in Game 3. Impressively, they did so without a dominant series from Embiid. Embiid averaged 20 points, 11.3 rebounds and 2.3 blocks through Games 1-3, but also committed 15 turnovers. Notably, Embiid did not play in Game 4 due to a knee injury.
As Philadelphia shifts its focus to Boston, Embiid’s health obviously remains a primary concern. Embiid sprained the LCL in his right knee and was scheduled to be re-evaluated later this week. He has yet to practice ahead of Monday’s Game 1.
Embiid, 29, averaged 33.1 points this season to capture his second consecutive scoring title. He also averaged 10.2 rebounds and matched a career high with 4.2 assists per game. The MVP runner-up the last two seasons, Embiid is now the favorite to dethrone Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic for the league’s most coveted award.
However, despite Embiid’s brilliance, injuries remain a bugaboo. He missed two games in the second round last year and one in the first in 2021 with various ailments, in addition to the two he missed in 2018 because of an orbital fracture. He also sat out a game in 2019.
While Philadelphia has a strong supporting cast, including James Harden, Tyrese Maxey and Tobias Harris, its chances of going deeper into the playoffs will diminish greatly if Embiid remains hampered. Keep that in mind in our 76ers vs Celtics betting preview. Embiid averaged 36.8 points and 11.8 rebounds in four games against Boston this season.
The 76ers currently hold the second-best odds to win the Eastern Conference at +350. They’re also fourth on the NBA title odds board at +750, trailing only Boston (+160), Phoenix (+450) and Golden State (+550).
Handicapping The Series
Boston had the upper hand on Philadelphia during the regular season, going 3-1 against the 76ers. As such, the Celtics are favored at -300 to win the series, with the 76ers coming in at +250.
With Embiid’s status up in the air, it’s hard to gauge how things may unfold. Even if he does play, will he be at full strength? Either way, if not, the 76ers will obviously be in trouble.
Philadelphia is talented enough to hang with Boston even without Embiid. But the Celtics are the slightly better team on both ends of the floor, and with homecourt advantage, the 76ers won’t have the luxury of easing their way into the series.
The 76ers finished 14th in scoring during the regular season, averaging 115.2 points per game, and led the NBA in 3-point efficiency (38.7%). At 43.4%, Maxey was their most reliable shooter from deep. Philadelphia also rated eighth defensively.
For a 76ers vs Celtics betting preview, NBA news, analysis and more, visit pointspreads.com.
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