Philadelphia 76ers (60-30) vs. Boston Celtics (63-29)
May 9, 2023 7:30 pm EDT
The Line: Boston Celtics -7; Over/Under: +214
(Get latest betting odds)
The Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics meet Tuesday in Game 5 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 104.9 points on 44.6 percent shooting and allowing 104.4 points on 46.5 percent shooting. Joel Embiid is averaging 23.2 points and 3.2 assists, while James Harden is averaging 23 points and 8.1 assists. Tyrese Maxey is the third double-digit scorer and Tobias Harris is grabbing 7.3 rebounds. The Philadelphia 76ers are shooting 39 percent from beyond the arc and 87.6 percent from the free throw line. The Philadelphia 76ers are allowing 35.5 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 43.6 rebounds per game.
The Boston Celtics are averaging 119.2 points on 50.3 percent shooting and allowing 111.9 points on 45.1 percent shooting. Jayson Tatum is averaging 26 points and 10.6 rebounds, while Jaylen Brown is averaging 25.4 points and 3.6 assists. Marcus Smart is the third double-digit scorer and Malcolm Brogdon is grabbing 4.2 rebounds. The Boston Celtics are shooting 39.5 percent from beyond the arc and 83.1 percent from the free throw line. The Boston Celtics are allowing 37.5 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 44.3 rebounds per game.
The 76ers are 4-1-1 ATS in their last 6 road games and 7-2-1 ATS in their last 10 games overall. The Celtics are 9-3 ATS in their last 12 home games and 10-4 ATS in their last 14 games overall. The over is 11-4 in 76ers last 15 Tuesday games. The over is 7-1 in Celtics last 8 overall. The 76ers are 5-11 ATS in the last 16 meetings in Boston and 2-7 ATS in the last 9 meetings.
The Boston Celtics should be big favorites, especially at home, and we’ve seen what they can do when firing on all cylinders, as game 2 was ugly. However, the Philadelphia 76ers have shown they can play with the Celtics, it’s really a matter of getting anybody to come with Embiid. Which Harden will show up? Can Maxey play under control and give 20 points? Harris? If somebody can be Embiid’s Robin, the 76ers can hang here. The 76ers are 4-1 ATS when underdogs of 7.5 or more points. Give me the road dog.
