Philadelphia 76ers (58-28) vs. Boston Celtics (61-27)
May 1, 2023 7:30 pm EDT
The Line: Boston Celtics -10; Over/Under: 213.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics meet Monday in Game 1 of the NBA East Semifinals Playoffs at the TD Garden. Let’s preview this game and give out a pick and prediction.
The Philadelphia 76ers are averaging 103.8 points on 45 percent shooting and allowing 92.5 points on 44 percent shooting. Tyrese Maxey is averaging 21.8 points and 1.8 assists, while Tobias Harris is averaging 20.3 points and 2 assists. Joel Embiid is the third double-digit scorer and James Harden is grabbing 5.5 rebounds. The Philadelphia 76ers are shooting 406 percent from beyond the arc and 86.9 percent from the free throw line. The Philadelphia 76ers are allowing 32.6 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 48.5 rebounds per game.
The Boston Celtics are averaging 121.2 points on 51.2 percent shooting and allowing 115.8 points on 45.7 percent shooting. Jayson Tatum is averaging 27.2 points and 10 rebounds, while Jaylen Brown is averaging 26.7 points and 3 assists. Derrick White is the third double-digit scorer and Marcus Smart is grabbing 4.3 rebounds. The Boston Celtics are shooting 40.6 percent from beyond the arc and 78.8 percent from the free throw line. The Boston Celtics are allowing 37.5 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 45 rebounds per game.
The 76ers are 3-0-1 ATS in their last 4 road games and 5-0-1 ATS in their last 6 games overall. The Celtics are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 home games and 8-2 ATS in their last 10 games overall. The under is 26-10-1 in 76ers last 37 Monday games. The over is 4-0 in Celtics last 4 overall. The 76ers are 4-10 ATS in the last 14 meetings in Boston and 0-5 ATS in the last 5 meetings.
This line has ballooned in the favor of the Celtics with the news that Joel Embiid is likely not going to play. While the Celtics should win, double-digit chalk feels a bit too strong. The 76ers are still a decent team even without their big man and the Celtics showed some pause for concern against the Celtics as it often felt like they were coasting. Also, the 76ers are 3-0 ATS when underdogs of 7.5 or more points this season, while the Celtics are 9-11 ATS as double-digit favorites. The 76ers still get after it defensively, and Maxey has shown he can go crazy offensively when he has the green light. Give me the points.
