Philadelphia 76ers vs. Boston Celtics Odds, Picks & Predictions - Game 5
A pair of Atlantic Divsion teams continue their NBA first round Eastern Conference playoff series in Beantown as the seventh-seeded Philadelphia 76ers take on the second-seeded Boston Celtics in Game 2 action Tuesday night and we break down the 76ers vs. Celtics matchup here. In Game 1 of the series Sunday, Boston cruised to a 123-91 victory at home to draw first blood in the set. The Celtics easily covered the line as a 13.5-point favorite.
Philadelphia took Game 2 111-97 on the road to square the series. They won outright as a 13.5-point underdog in that contest. Boston regrouped with a 108-100 road win in Game 3. The 76ers covered the line as an 8.5-point underdog. In Game 4, Boston cruised to a 128-96 road win Sunday and covered the line as a 5.5-point favorite.
In the all-time playoff series between the teams, Boston has won 15 of the 22 previous series. The Celtics own a 70-51 advantage in head-to-head playoff victories. Let’s break down this 76ers vs. Celtics matchup.
76ers Trying to Stave Off Elimination
Philadelphia welcomed Joel Embiid back after his appendectomy Sunday night. That was the good news. Conversely, the bad news was that they were stomped into oblivion and now trail 3-1 in the series heading back to Boston. In Game 4, Philadelphia never led by more than one, the last time at 13-12 with 4:41 to play in the first quarter. They gave up the next 11 points and never recovered after that. Philadelphia trailed by as many as 32 en route to the loss. Embiid paced the 76ers with 26 points, 10 rebounds and six assists in the loss.
In the playoffs, the 76ers are 16th in the league in scoring offense with 99.5 points per game. The 76ers are 16th in rebounding as they collect 37.3 rebounds per contest. They are 16th in assists by dishing out an average of 20.3 dimes a night. Philadelphia is 15th in the league in scoring defense as they allow an average of 114 points a contest. Tyrese Maxey leads the 76ers with 25.8 points and 7.3 assists per game this postseason. VJ Edgecombe (14.8 points, 6.8 rebounds), Embiid and Paul George (17.5 points) are good secondary scoring options.
Philadelphia is 11th in the league in field goal percentage as they shoot 42.9% from the floor as a team. The 76ers are tied for 9th in threes per game as they drain 11 triples a contest. They are 6th in three-point shooting by connecting on 34.6% of their attempts from beyond the arc. Philadelphia stands 9th in the league in free throw shooting as they convert 75.7% of their attempts at the stripe.
Key Injury Report for 76ers:
- No Key Injuries
Celtics Look to Advance to East Semifinals
Boston steamrolled Philadelphia in Game 4 as they rolled to a 3-1 series advantage. The Celtics look to put the series away and punch their ticket to the Eastern Conference semifinals with a win here. In Game 3, Boston trailed by one with under five minutes to play in the opening quarter before closing the stanza on a 22-5 run. That gave the Celtics a 16-point lead after the first quarter and never looked back. Boston led by as many as 32 en route to the victory. Payton Pritchard led the Celtics with 32 points off the bench I the win.
In the postseason, the Celtics are 2nd in the league in scoring offense with an average of 114 points per game. Boston is 2nd in the league in rebounding with 47.3 boards per contest. They stand tied for 1st in assists by handing out 26 assists per game. The Celtics are 1st in the league in scoring defense as they allow 99.7 points per contest. Jaylen Brown leads the team with an average of 26.8 points plus 6.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists per contest. Jayson Tatum contributes 24.8 points, 9.3 rebounds and 8.5 assists a night.
Boston is 8th in the league in field goal percentage as they shoot 45.5% from the floor this season. The Celtics are 1st in the league in threes per game as they hit 18.3 triples per contest. They are tied for 3rd in three-point field goal percentage by shooting 37.6% from beyond the arc. Boston is 4th in the league in free throw shooting as they convert 78.8% of their attempts at the line this season.
Key Injury Report for Celtics:
- No Key Injuries
New DraftKings Customers: Bet $5+ Get $100 in Bonus Bets Instantly! 76ers vs. Celtics Prediction
Philadelphia hoped that the return of Embiid would be a shot in the arm and allow them to even the series. Instead, they were hammered into oblivion and are on the brink of elimination. Philadelphia did win Game 2 of this series in Boston but that was a game where the Celtics were 13 of 50 from beyond the arc. Meanwhile, in Games 3 and 4, the Celtics shot a combined 44 of 100 three-point attempts. The 76ers can’t contend with that kind of volume from the perimeter. Philadelphia is overmatched and Boston buries them from the outside to close the series.
Our Prediction: Celtics -11.5 (BetMGM, -110)
10 x $100 bet match
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