The Boston Celtics (21-21) travel to the City of Brotherly Love Friday for a 7 p.m. ET tip-off against the Philadelphia 76ers (23-17) at the Wells Fargo Center. Below, we look at the Celtics vs. 76ers odds and lines, and make our expert NBA picks, predictions and bets.
Boston has won three consecutive games (2-1 against the spread), beating the New York Knicks once and the Indiana Pacers twice.
Philly, as a 5.5-point favorite, had a seven-game winning streak snapped Wednesday in a 109-98 home loss to the Charlotte Hornets.
Boston and Philly split their first two head-to-head meetings this season, but the 76ers covered both.
The 76ers are 6-0 ATS in their last six meetings with the Celtics, dating back to the 2020 NBA playoffs.
Celtics at 76ers odds, spread and lines
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 3:43 a.m. ET.
- Money line: Celtics +133 (bet $100 to win $133) | 76ers -165 (bet $165 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): Celtics +3.5 (-107) | 76ers -3.5 (-115)
- Over/Under (O/U): 212.5 (O: -108 | U: -112)
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Celtics at 76ers key injuries
Celtics
- PG Marcus Smart (health and safety protocols) questionable
76ers
- SF Danny Green (hip) out
- SG Shake Milton (back) out
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Celtics at 76ers odds, lines, picks and predictions
Prediction
Celtics 109, 76ers 103
Money line
Slight “LEAN” to the CELTICS (+133) for a small wager if at all, because I prefer their spread. If anything, I’d “sprinkle” on Boston’s money line and come over the top with the Celtics plus the points.
But the 76ers (-165) are 8-9 straight up (SU) at home and the Celtics are better than their record indicates. Boston has a minus-3.1 win differential based on adjusted net rating, which essentially means the Celtics should have three more wins. Boston is just 3-10 SU as a road underdog.
Again, my favorite wager is Boston’s spread, but I’d consider sprinkling on CELTICS (+133).
Against the spread
BET CELTICS +3.5 (-107) for 1 unit because Boston having centers Robert Williams III and Al Horford for this game will make a huge difference.
Philly won the previous meeting vs. the Celtics 108-103 (Dec. 20) with C Joel Embiid erupting for 41 points on 51.9% shooting and made 12 of 14 free throws.
But neither Williams nor Horford was active, which significantly hurt Boston’s interior defense. Also, Embiid is a master a getting to the charity stripe.
However, Williams grades in the 89th percentile of bigs in non-garbage time on/off defensive free-throw rate and Horford grades in the 83rd percentile.
Williams and Horford were on the floor in Boston’s 88-87 victory Dec. 1 and Embiid put up 13 points on 3-for-17 shooting. Embiid did get to the foul line 10 times but wasn’t nearly as dominant of a presence.
On top of that, Boston is fourth in adjusted defensive rating and Philly struggles against quality defenses.
The Sixers are 2-6 SU with a minus-6.4 adjusted net rating (ranked 22nd) and a minus-5.9 ATS margin (ranked 24th).
Finally, this is a good spot for the Celtics, who are 4-0-1 ATS in their last five as underdogs and 6-1-1 ATS in their last eight games versus a team with a winning record. On the other hand, Philly is 6-11 ATS at home and 3-7 ATS at home versus teams with a winning record.
BET CELTICS +3.5 (-107).
Over/Under
PASS since my prediction aligns with the projected score, so there’s no value in betting the total.
I lean toward the Under 212.5 (-112) because Philly is 5-12 O/U at home and the Under is 8-3 in the last 11 Celtics-76ers meetings.
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