The Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers meet Sunday in Game 4 of the NBA East Semifinals Playoffs at the Wells Fargo Center. Let’s preview this game and give out a pick and prediction.
The Boston Celtics are averaging 119.7 points on 50.6 percent shooting and allowing 111.4 points on 45 percent shooting. Jayson Tatum is averaging 26.2 points and 9.8 rebounds, while Jaylen Brown is averaging 25.7 points and 3.4 assists. Marcus Smart is the third double-digit scorer and Malcolm Brogdon is grabbing 3.8 rebounds. The Boston Celtics are shooting 39.6 percent from beyond the arc and 84.6 percent from the free throw line. The Boston Celtics are allowing 37.4 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 44.3 rebounds per game.
The Philadelphia 76ers are averaging 103.3 points on 44.4 percent shooting and allowing 102.9 points on 46.4 percent shooting. Joel Embiid is averaging 21 points and 3 assists, while James Harden is averaging 20.3 points and 8 assists. Tyrese Maxey is the third double-digit scorer and Tobias Harris is grabbing 7.3 rebounds. The Philadelphia 76ers are shooting 39.1 percent from beyond the arc and 87.8 percent from the free throw line. The Philadelphia 76ers are allowing 35 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 43.6 rebounds per game.
The Celtics are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 road games and 10-3 ATS in their last 13 games overall. The 76ers are 9-3 ATS in their last 12 Sunday games and 6-2-1 ATS in their last 9 games overall. The over is 6-1 in Celtics last 7 overall. The under is 4-1 in 76ers last 5 Sunday games. The Celtics are 4-0 ATS in the last 4 meetings in Philadelphia and 7-1 ATS in the last 8 meetings.
The Boston Celtics are the better, more consistent team and should be favored, but they're also a team that's taken their foot off the gas at times. The Philadelphia 76ers had their chances to win game 3 but couldn't get anything out of Harden and others. Embiid is good enough to keep the 76ers hanging around, but the rest of the cast need to chip in something. Must win for the 76ers, and maybe Embiid calling out his teammates postgame wakes guys up? I'll grab the free bucket with the home team.
