76ers vs Celtics Betting Analysis NBA

One of the Eastern Conference’s best rivalries is renewed in the NBA on Wednesday night for the first time this season when the Philadelphia 76ers visit the Boston Celtics. The Sixers likely be short favorites on the NBA odds but it will depend on a few Boston injuries.

How to Bet Philadelphia at Boston NBA Odds & TV Info

When: Wednesday, 7:30 PM ET
Where: TD Garden
TV: NBA TV
Stream: NBA.com, NBA TV app
Radio: Tunein.com
NBA Odds: TBA (Sixers should be favored)

Last Season

Philadelphia won all three meetings last season. The most recent matchup was on April 6 in Boston and the Sixers prevailed 106-96. Joel Embiid scored 35 points and Danny Green added 17 points as the 76ers swept the season series for the first time since the 2000-2001 season. Embiid went 16 for 20 at the foul line and grabbed six rebounds. Jayson Tatum led the Celtics with 20 points, and Jaylen Brown finished with 17. Boston had 23 turnovers.

Why Bet on Philadelphia?

Other than Ben Simmons, the Sixers are finally nearly whole off injuries and COVID. Star Joel Embiid missed nine games because of COVID-19 — it him so bad, he said he had “headaches worse than migraines” — and Tobias Harris and Danny Green were among the other Sixers out for games because of league protocols.

They snapped a two-game losing streak Monday with a 101-96 home win over Orlando. The Sixers shot 39% in the third quarter as they coughed up a 16-point lead and the Philly crowd booed them off the court. Mo Bamba’s dunk with 57 seconds left tied it 93-all but then the Sixers won it from the free-throw line.

Embiid had 16 points, 13 rebounds and five assists in 30 minutes. “He was great. Played a ton of minutes. Something you just don’t know from COVID. Give him credit. Clearly, he’s been working out, and he showed us that,” Coach Doc Rivers said.

Seth Curry led the 76ers with 24 points on Monday. It was Curry’s 8th game of the season with 20+ points. Philadelphia is now 17-2 all-time when Curry scores 20-plus points. Tyrese Maxey posted nine points, nine assists and eight rebounds. Maxey’s double-digit scoring streak was snapped at 16 games, but Monday marked the fourth game in a row Maxey has failed to shoot 40 percent from the field.

The Sixers’ season-high total of 55 rebounds included 12 on the offensive glass. Their bench outscored the Magic reserves by a 30-17 margin.

Even with the team back at full strength, Rivers continues to tinker with his starting lineup. On Saturday, he ran Matisse Thybulle with starters but went back to Green against Orlando. Green has also his own injury concerns arise on multiple occasions with what appears to be a nagging hamstring issue. Green first strained his hamstring early in November, which led to a three-game absence. He eventually returned for a few games before re-aggravating the injury against the Pacers, which sidelined him for four games.

“We’re going to do a lot of things. As I said before the year, I think this is a starting lineup that will change a lot, at least in those positions,” Rivers said. “Danny [Green] does what he does, whether he starts or comes off the bench. When he starts, he provides spacing, shooting, defense. When Matisse [Thybulle] starts, it’s more of the defense.

Why Bet on Boston?

The Celtics snapped a two-game slide with Sunday’s 109-97 win in Toronto. Boston bounced back after losing at San Antonio on Friday night, when it allowed the Spurs to score the final 15 points.

“The way we lost that game was definitely tough,” Marcus Smart said. “To be able to come back and respond the way we did just shows growth. I know we get up here and say that a lot, but it’s true.”

Star Jayson Tatum shot 2 for 16 and scored eight points, but added seven rebounds and a season-high 10 assists. Jaylen Brown hit 6-of-11 shots for 16 points in 27 minutes. Brown has battled some injuries this season but is starting to look like his normal self. Josh Richardson returned from an illness that cost him three games and had 18 points in 27 minutes after a three-game absence. Boston outscored Toronto by almost a point per minute while he was on the court as well; Richardson finished with a plus-23 in the plus/minus category.

Al Horford totaled 17 points and 11 rebounds. The veteran big man has three double-doubles over his last five appearances and has accomplished that feat eight times already in 2021-22. By penetrating and collapsing Toronto’s defense, Boston was also able to draw an abundance of contact around the basket. Eight different Celtics players made multiple trips to the free-throw line, where they shot 29-of-31 as a team.

Celtics head coach Ime Udoka said that he expects both Robert Williams (non-COVID illness) and Dennis Schroeder (sprained right ankle) to be active for Wednesday’s game against Philadelphia. Udoka said that this will be one of the rare occasions this season that Boston should have their full roster available. Williams missed the last three games, while Schroder missed one and was considered day-to-day.

When Brown missed eight games due to a hamstring injury earlier in the season, Schroder stepped into the starting lineup and posted 23.1 points, 4.3 assists and 4.0 rebounds across 35.6 minutes per game. However, with everyone healthy, the point guard will likely shift back into a reserve role.