Philadelphia 76ers vs Boston Celtics Prediction, Preview and Odds - 05/09/2023

Game Time: 7:30 pm ET, Tuesday, May 9, 2023

Venue:  TD Garden, Boston, MA

Where to Watch:  TNT

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  76ers +7, Celtics -7; Over/Under:  214.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  76ers +7, Celtics -7; Over/Under:  214 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  76ers +7.5, Celtics -7.5; Over/Under:  214.5 points

Philadelphia 76ers:  54-28 (2nd place, Atlantic Division)

Boston Celtics:  57-25 (1st place, Atlantic Division)

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Philadelphia 76ers:  8-2 last 10

Boston Celtics:  6-4 last 10

The 76ers finished the regular season with a 54-28 record overall and they were 25-16 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off of a win against the Boston Celtics in their last game. James Harden led the team in points in that game with 42 while Joel Embiid was next on the team with 34 points. James Harden led the team in assists in that game with 9 while Joel Embiid led the team in rebounds with 13. They were 46.2% from the field, 38.2% from 3-point range, and 86.4% from the free throw line with their shots in that game. Their offense is averaging 115.2 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 110.9 PPG against them. The 76ers have an ATS record of 52-36-2 this season and their O/U record is 48-40-2.

The Celtics finished the regular season with a 57-25 record overall and they were 32-9 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off of a loss against the Philadelphia 76ers in their last game. Jayson Tatum led the team in points in that game with 24 while Jaylen Brown was next on the team with 23 points. Marcus Smart led the team in assists in that game with 7 while Jayson Tatum led the team in rebounds with 18. They were 47.1% from the field, 38.6% from 3-point range, and 72.7% from the free throw line with their shots in that game. Their offense is averaging 117.9 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 111.4 PPG against them. The Celtics have an ATS record of 52-40 this season and their O/U record is 49-41-2.

The current betting odds have the Celtics listed as a 7 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. This is game 5 of a 7-game series between the 2nd seeded Celtics and the 3rd seeded 76ers for the 2nd round of the playoffs in the NBA Eastern Conference. This series is all tied up 2-2 after the 76ers were able to take game 4 on their home court and even the series. The 76ers had a huge lead in that game as they were winning by almost 20 points for a lot of that game but they were terrible in the 4th quarter when it mattered most and almost coughed up their lead in the last 2 minutes of the game. They were very fortunate to send the game to OT where they won it by 1 point in a tight quarter but they haven't looked great in any of their games since Embiid came back from injury and they are not going to win this series by playing the way they have in their last few games. Even when the Celtics were losing big they managed to come back and almost win the game, now they are back on their home court with a chance to take a 3-2 series lead and they will put the clamp down here with another great home performance where they will be leading the entire game. The best way to place a bet here is on the Celtics to cover the spread in this game and take a 3-2 series lead.

76ers Celtics Prediction:  Our NBA Pick for Tuesday, May 9, 2023 (7:30 pm ET start time) is Celtics 121 76ers 104.

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Philadelphia 76ers: 32-20 ATS after a game where they covered the spread. 11-6 ATS off a home win against a division rival. 18-10 OVER when the total is 210 to 219.5. 31-22 OVER after a game where they covered the spread.

Boston Celtics: 4-14 ATS revenging a same season loss vs opponent. 5-11 ATS revenging a loss where the opponent scored 110 or more points. 28-18 OVER as a favorite of 3.5 to 9.5 points. 8-3 OVER when the total is 210 to 219.5.

Philadelphia 76ers:  None.

Boston Celtics:  D. Gallinari (SF) out for season - Knee.

“Jayson Tatum's 3 was awful that (a push-off) wasn't called. You've got to call that play. I know it's a big play and I'm a big fan of refs not deciding (the game) but it could have decided the game.” - Doc Rivers after his team’s win against the Celtics in their game on Sunday, game 4 of this series.

“I guess I've got to demand the ball a little bit more. I thought good things happened when I had it in my hands. I thought our offense was OK. We chipped away, we made big-time shots, we got great looks all game long. We just came up short in the end.” - Jaylen Brown after their loss against the 76ers in their game on Sunday, game 4 of this series.

PG James Harden

SG Tyrese Maxey

SF Tobias Harris 

PF P.J. Tucker

C Joel Embiid

PG Marcus Smart

SG Derrick White

SF Jaylen Brown

PF Jayson Tatum

C Al Horford

PPG: J. Embiid (33.1)

APG: J. Harden (10.7)

Reb/G: J. Embiid (10.2)

PPG: J. Tatum (30.1)

APG: M. Smart (6.3)

Reb/G: J. Tatum (8.8)

Coaches:

Philadelphia 76ers: Doc Rivers (3rd season)

Boston Celtics: Joe Mazzulla (1st season)