Two of the elite teams in the Eastern Conference will square off Tuesday night as the Boston Celtics (54-24) take on the Philadelphia 76ers (51-27). The 76ers will host this one at the Wells Fargo Center, with tipoff scheduled for 8:00 pm ET.
The 76ers are the favorites in this one playing at home. They are -138 to win, while the Celtics’ moneyline sits at +118. The spread features Boston as 2.5-point underdogs (-110).
Boston Wants To Put Pressure On Bucks
Currently 54-24, the Boston Celtics have a comfortable 3-game lead over the Philadelphia 76ers for second in the East. Only two games behind the Bucks for the top spot, though, the Celtics would love to make a push for the top spot with just a handful of games remaining.
Luckily for Boston, they have been solid on the road as they are 25-15 away from home. They have also won back-to-back games and seven of their last ten. Boston is also a solid 31-17 against Eastern Conference teams.
Offensively, the Celtics rank second in the NBA in scoring, averaging 118.4 points per game. They have averaged 124.3 in their last three contests. Leading the way for Boston is Jayson Tatum, who is averaging 30.3 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game.
Jaylen Brown is also having a spectacular season, averaging 26.7 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game.
Defensively, the Celtics rank sixth in the NBA, allowing opponents an average of 111.8 points per game.
76ers Looking For Home Court Advantage Tuesday
After losing 117-104 in their last game on the road versus Milwaukee, the 76ers are excited to return home. They have been solid at the Wells Fargo Center, going 28-11 to this point at home.
Like Boston, they are 31-17 against the East, but they are just 5-5 in their last 10 games.
On the defensive side, the 76ers have been elite this year. They rank third overall, allowing just 111.7 points per game to opponents.
On the offensive end, Philadelphia ranks 14th, averaging 115.1 points per game. They are led by Joel Embiid, who currently has the best odds of winning the NBA MVP this year at -200. In 64 games, he is averaging 33 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game.
Other contributors include James Harden (21.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, 10.8 assists), Tyrese Maxey (20.6 points, 3.6 assists), and Tobias Harris (14.8 points, 5.7 rebounds).
Take Boston And The Points
Looking at the trends, Boston is 5-1 straight up and 4-2 against the spread in their last six games. They are also 4-1 straight up and against the spread in their last five versus the 76ers.
As for Philadelphia, they are 11-5 in their last 16 games and 4-1 in their last five home games. They are 8-4 against the spread in their last 12.
This one should be a great matchup. While the 76ers are hard to beat at home, Boston has shown they can compete on the road with a top-10 offense and defense.
Expect this one to be close throughout. It wouldn’t be surprising if Boston pulls out the victory, but at the very least, there is a lot of value taking them and the 2.5 points (-110).
