For the second time this season, the Boston Celtics will face the Philadelphia 76ers in a rivalry matchup.
These two teams faced off on opening night with Boston getting the better of Philly in a 126-117 win.
Both teams are in the top three in the Eastern Confernece this season, with the Sixers sitting just three games back of Boston. Philly has really played well since James Harden returned to the lineup in early December, and it comes into this game after winning eight of its last 10.
The Celtics won’t have reigning Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart (ankle) in this game, but the Sixers are once again listing Joel Embiid (foot) as questionable.
Embiid has played through the injury on several occasions, so this may just be a formality by the Sixers.
Let’s dive into the odds and a pick for this Eastern Conference showdown:
Sixers vs. Celtics odds, spread and total
Sixers vs. Celtics prediction and pick
Boston has dominated at home this season, and bettors shouldn’t read too much into the team’s against the spread record as home favorites.
The Celtics are 14-13 ATS as home favorites this season, but they are winning those games by an average margin of 9.1 points. That’s more telling to me than the actual ATS record, especially since Boston is just a 4.5-point favorite on Wednesday.
The Celtics have gone 20-7 straight up at home, and Philly is unfamiliar in this spot as a road do, as this is just the 10th time this season the Sixers haven’t been favored away from Wells Fargo Center.
They’ve gone 4-5 against the spread in those games.
Embiid’s status is key in this game, but Boston has done a good job defending him in recent seasons. In his career against Boston, Embiid is shooting just 45.4 percent from the field, and the Celtics have held him to fewer than 20 points in two of their last five meetings.
Boston’s 3-point shooting is going to have to show up for the Celtics to run away with this game, as Philly (third in 3-point percentage) has the options to match it on that end.
Still, I can’t get past how dominant the C’s have been at home this season, so I’ll lean with them to win and cover against Philly for the second time this season.
Find Peter Dewey’s full betting record here.
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Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.