Celtics vs 76ers Odds: Boston a Slight Favorite Down 3-2

Boston Listed as 2-point Favorite and -125 on Moneyline for Game 6

The Boston Celtics are now on the brink of elimination following a 115-103 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers in Tuesday’s Game 5 atTD Garden. The 76ers entered the affair as a 7-point road underdog but built a 33-26 lead after the first quarter and pretty much led throughout.

The Celtics will get their first chance to extend the NBA season Thursday (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN) at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. Despite trailing 3-2 in the series, Boston is a 2-point favorite.

Let’s take a deeper look at the Celtics vs 76ers odds in our Game 6 Eastern Conference semifinals betting preview.

Celtics logo Celtics vs 76ers 76ers logo

Date & Time:
Location: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA
Streaming: ESPN

Can Embiid Be Stopped?

Good question. Philadelphia center Joel Embiid continued his dominance in Game 5, pouring in 33 points on 10-of-23 shooting. He also had seven rebounds and four blocks. It was the third straight 30-point game for Embiid, the NBA points leader (33.1 PPG), and fifth in eight games against Boston.

Clearly, Embiid doesn’t look hampered by the knee injury that forced him to miss Game 1 of the Celtics vs 76ers series. He played 37 minutes in Game 5, and did so at an elite level. The Sixers were +21 with Embiid on the floor, best of any player.

Most importantly, Embiid’s supporting cast stepped up, too. Tyrese Maxey scored 30 points, his most since Game 2 against the Nets (33), and James Harden contributed 17 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds, narrowly missing a triple-double.

Embiid is now averaging 32.3 points versus Boston this season. The Celtics don’t have an answer for him, no matter whom they put on the floor. Al Horford, Robert Williams III, it doesn’t matter. Keep that in mind when assessing the Celtics vs 76ers odds.

Slow Starts Following Tatum

Boston star Jayson Tatum had another dismal start Tuesday, missing all five of his first-quarter shots with just two points on a pair of free throws. Tatum was also 0-for-5 in the opening quarter of Game 4. Altogether, he’s now missed 14 straight first-quarter field goals, one shy of the longest streak by any postseason player over the last 25 years.

To his credit, Tatum rebounded to score 36 points on 11-of-27 shooting. He also collected 10 rebounds, five assists and two steals for his third straight double-double.

Still, Boston needs a more complete performance from Tatum to have a shot at rallying from 3-2 down.

Road, Sweet Road?

In order to keep its season alive and force a Game 7, Boston must win in Philadelphia. It’s a tall order, but obviously not impossible. The Celtics went 25-16 away from TD Garden this season, tied for the NBA’s second-best road record behind Milwaukee (26-15). They’re now 3-2 on the road in the playoffs, including a 114-102 victory in Game 3 at Wells Fargo Center.

Philadelphia, meanwhile, had the East’s fourth-best home record at 29-12.

76ers Now ‘Future’ Favorite

The Philadelphia 76ers are now favored for the first time to get get past the Celtics and win the Eastern Conference. Philadelphia is priced at -175 to win the second-round series, with Boston at +155. Additionally, the 76ers leapfrogged the Celtics as the East favorite at -105. Boston is next in line at +220.

Denver, the Western Conference’s top seed, currently has the shortest odds to win the NBA Finals at +300. Philadelphia and Los Angeles are both a close second at +325, followed by Boston at +400. The Celtics had been the NBA’s betting favorite since No. 1 seed Milwaukee was eliminated.

Handicapping Game 6

The latest Celtics vs 76ers odds have Boston listed as a slight 2-point favorite.The Celtics are also -125 on the moneyline, compared to +105 for Philadelphia. The over/under is 214, four points under the combined point total from Game 5. The teams have gone over that total in four of the five games this series, with the exception being Boston’s 121-87 victory in Game 2.

At the moment, there are plenty of reasons to like the 76ers. Boston struggled to put away Atlanta in the first round, lost twice at home to Philadelphia, and still doesn’t have a clue how to stop Embiid. The pressure is only mounting on Boston, to the point where critics are now questioning Joe Mazzulla’s late-game coaching decisions.

Tatum should start faster, but with how Embiid’s playing, will it matter? That bears watching.

For NBA odds and scores, news, analysis and more, visit pointspreads.com

Follow us on Twitter

Can’t get enough? Here’s more!

Back to top button

pointspreads

WHO WILL WIN?

Submit your vote and view the results
Hey Again

vote all you can

pointspreads

PS-email

PS-email

Robot_subscription sombras
Subscribe to get
get_expert_img
Thank you for subscribing subscribed_icon