When the Boston Celtics are locked in, there are few teams in the NBA that can hang with them. The most recent demonstration of this came on Thursday, when they went to Milwaukee and absolutely demolished another East contender – the Milwaukee Bucks – in a 140-99 laugher. The Celtics had gone through a bit of a slump in late February and early March, dropping four of five in a stretch that included a loss to the Houston Rockets, but they are back in business, as Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown combined to drop 70 on the Bucks. On Tuesday they visit the Philadelphia 76ers, who seemed to right the ship on Wednesday with a comeback win over Dallas at home after a stretch in which they had lost five of six. The key is having both Joel Embiid and James Harden on the floor; when both are playing, the 76ers are +9.6 points per 100 possessions. Let’s break down the NBA betting implications of this potential playoff preview meeting between these two East titans.
NBA Preview: Boston Celtics at Philadelphia 76ers
When: Tuesday, April 4, 2023, 8:00 pm ET
Where: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia
TV: TNT
Radio: WBZ 98.5 FM Boston / WPEN 97.5 FM Philadelphia
Live Stream: Sling TV
Why should you bet on the Celtics?
Boston followed that demolition of the Bucks up with a home win over Utah on Friday. Jayson Tatum put up 39 points and 11 assists in the 122-114 victory. The Celtics had faced the additional challenge when their flight back from Milwaukee didn’t leave until Friday morning, and so the team landed just six hours before tip-off against the Jaz. Malcolm Brogdon chipped in 19 points, and Derrick White scored 17. The Celtics made 17 three-pointers as a team, with five coming from Tatum.
The key part of the game came in the second and third quarters, when the Celtics outscored Utah, 66-49. That made the deficit 15 going into the fourth quarter, and while the Jazz were able to outscore Boston in the game’s last 12 minutes, it wasn’t enough. Boston had 22 free throw attempts, compared to just 14 for Utah, but the Jazz got 12 of those in the last quarter, which was a factor in their whittling away at the Boston lead. The Celtics were using a small lineup with both Al Horford (back) and Robert Williams (left knee) on the shelf, but the Jazz were missing Lauri Markkanen (hand), Jordan Clarkson (finger) and Collin Sexton (hamstring). The 76ers shouldn’t have similar injury issues.
Why should you put your money on the 76ers?
The 76ers have dropped four of their last six, including a 117-104 loss in Milwaukee on Sunday. Joel Embiid put up 28 points and nine rebounds, but he was held without a block, and he was just 1 of 7 from behind the three-point arc. James Harden only had 11 points in 34 minutes, going 4 of 9 overall from the floor and 1 of 3 from distance. Tyrese Maxey led the way with 29 points, going 6 of 7 from behind the arc, but the only other 76er in double figures was Danuel House Jr, with 10 points and a +6 rating in just nine minutes off the bench.
The key problems that the 76ers have had in the past couple of weeks have involved defense and health. Even with both Embiid and Harden on the floor, the 76ers trailed Dallas on Wednesday until the fourth quarter, because they just could not get stops until the Mavericks started missing open shots. Both Embiid and Harden have had minor injuries the past few weeks, so getting them both as close to 100% as possible is a key priority.
Final Score and Prediction
Philadelphia is not as dominant a team at home as they have been in years past, with a record of just 28-11 at Wells Fargo Center. Boston is playing offense at a higher level than Philadelphia is right now, and I expect the Celtics to be primed for a game with tiebreaker implications in the Eastern Conference. I predict a final score of Boston 118, Philadelphia 113.
Jaylen Brown Drops HUGE 30 Points In Celtics W!
Bet NBA Today
Xbet Betting Lines for the Game
NBA Betting Odds
Love betting NBA basketball? | Xbet Sportsbook offers up to date NBA lines
