It’s quite possible that the Philadelphia 76ers could finish as the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference and the Boston Celtics the No. 1. If so, they would face off in the first round of the playoffs. Thursday’s national TV game from Boston is their last meeting of the regular season. The Celtics are favorites in the NBA lines against the 76ers.
It was the 16th time this season that Boston trailed by at least 12 points. Despite their rallying to win nine of those previous 15 games, the Celtics couldn’t fend off Anthony Davis and the Pelicans. Irving missed a 3-pointer in a tie game with 1:09 to play in regulation. He atoned with a steal/foul combo but then missed one of the free throws. He missed a potential go-ahead layup with 39 seconds to play in the fourth quarter.
Irving has a sore left shoulder and did not practice on Wednesday. He is also going to be questionable to play against the 76ers. Irving played a season-high 41 minutes on Tuesday, and he’s also in a bad slump to start 2018 at just 35.4 FG% in those five games. If he can’t go, Terry Rozier and Shane Larkin would pick up the most playing time. Marcus Smart (illness) is questionable to play Thursday as well. He was not feeling well on Wednesday and did not practice.
76ers at Celtics Thursday Night NBA Lines & Expert Prediction
When: Thursday, 7 PM ET Where: TD Garden, Boston TV: TNT Stream: NBA.tv Radio: 97.5 FM (Philadelphia) / WBZ-FM 98.5 (Boston) Opening NBA Lines: Celtics -6 (212.5)One more practice before shipping up to Boston » https://t.co/ey0Qf9gMw1 pic.twitter.com/kgsbVwoS55
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) January 17, 2018
Latest NBA Betting Trends
- Philadelphia is 5-1 ATS in the last 6 games
- Philadelphia is 5-1 SU in the last 6 games
- The total went OVER in 4 of Philadelphia’s last 5 games
- Boston is 10-5 ATS in the last 15 games when playing Philadelphia
- Boston is 7-1 SU in the last 8 games
- The total went OVER in 6 of Boston’s last 8 games when playing Philadelphia
Season Series
Boston goes for the four-game season sweep. The first meeting was way back on Oct. 20 in Philly, a 102-92 C’s win. Kyrie Irving had 21 points and six rebounds. Jayson Tatum had 15 points and eight rebounds. The Sixers were led by JJ Redick’s 19 On Nov. 30 in Boston, the Celtics won 108-97. Irving had 36 points and Al Horford 21 points and eight rebounds. Dario Saric had 18 points and 10 rebounds for Philly. Last Thursday in London, the Celtics rallied from a 22-point deficit and won 114-103. Jaylen Brown led Boston with 21 points, while Irving had 20 points and seven assists. Joel Embiid had 15 points, and 10 rebounds and five assists for the Sixers. Embiid has 10 games this season with at least 10 points, five rebounds and five assists. Only New Orleans’ DeMarcus Cousins, Memphis’ Marc Gasol, Boston’s Horford, Detroit’s Andre Drummond and Denver’s Nikola Jokic have more. The Celtics have won seven straight at home in the series.Why Bet on Philadelphia’s NBA Lines?
The Sixers returned from that London trip with an impressive 117-111 home win over Toronto on Monday. Embiid posted a 34-point, 11-rebound double-double. Embiid didn’t play very well in his previous meeting against the Raptors, but he got going early in this one, scoring 12 of Philly’s first 18 points. He did appear to tweak his right hand during the third quarter, the same hand that has been giving him issues over the past few weeks, but he did play through it. Embiid scored 30-plus points for the seventh time this season, which is the most by a 76ers player in a single season since Hall of Famer Allen Iverson had eight in 2006-07. It’s the sixth time in his last seven games that Embiid has scored at least 20 points. He has tallied 23 20-plus point games this season and ranks 13th in the NBA in scoring. Embiid has now scored in double figures in 46 straight games, the longest streak by a Philadelphia player in the past five seasons. Ben Simmons scored 12 points, dished out four assists, blocked two shots and swiped two steals in 27 minutes. It was Simmons’ eighth contest with multiple blocks and steals, which leads the NBA ahead of Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo, Cousins and Golden State’s Draymond Green, among others. The news wasn’t all good Monday. J.J. Redick went down with a left leg contusion in the third quarter and did not return, finishing with 15 points and five rebounds. He’s out at least two weeks. Brett Brown hinted that Jerryd Bayless will be in the starting lineup for Thursday’s game. Brown said that Bayless will be “first up” to fill Redick’s spot, and said he’ll also try to find more minutes for guys like Timothe Luwawu and Justin Anderson. As a starter this season, Bayless owns averages of 11.0 points and 1.5 assists per contest on 44.9% shooting.Why Bet on Boston’s NBA Lines?
The Celtics looked flat in their first post-London game Tuesday, losing 116-113 in overtime to New Orleans to end Boston’s seven-game winning streak. Irving led Boston with 27 points, 24 after halftime as the Celtics rallied from a 12-point deficit and led by as much as five late in regulation. Marcus Smart and Jaylen Brown added 16 points apiece for the Celtics, who attempted a season-high 50 3-pointers.
It was the 16th time this season that Boston trailed by at least 12 points. Despite their rallying to win nine of those previous 15 games, the Celtics couldn’t fend off Anthony Davis and the Pelicans. Irving missed a 3-pointer in a tie game with 1:09 to play in regulation. He atoned with a steal/foul combo but then missed one of the free throws. He missed a potential go-ahead layup with 39 seconds to play in the fourth quarter.
Irving has a sore left shoulder and did not practice on Wednesday. He is also going to be questionable to play against the 76ers. Irving played a season-high 41 minutes on Tuesday, and he’s also in a bad slump to start 2018 at just 35.4 FG% in those five games. If he can’t go, Terry Rozier and Shane Larkin would pick up the most playing time. Marcus Smart (illness) is questionable to play Thursday as well. He was not feeling well on Wednesday and did not practice.
