Boston Celtics vs Philadelphia 76ers: NBA Playoff Prediction, 5–7–2018
Free NBA Spread Pick by Ray Franklin of Precision Picks
Boston Celtics vs Philadelphia 76ers
Line: Sixers -6.5, 204.5
Game Time: Monday, May 7th, 6:00 PM EST
The Boston Celtics have a chance to add to their storied playoff history by completing their first sweep of the Sixers in franchise history in Game 4 Monday night in Philadelphia. The Sixers showed their youth in Game 3 with numerous careless turnovers which ultimately led to their 101–98 OT loss on Saturday. Tonight’s matchup has the Sixers backs against the wall but Vegas favors Philadelphia by -6.5 points.
Boston has defied odds all season and they are one win away from reaching the Eastern Conference Finals. The Celtics appear to be the more aggressive and determined team in this series and they have capitalized on a number of mental mistakes made by the Sixers. Rookie Jayson Tatum scored 24 points, Terry Rozier added 18 and Jaylen Brown netted 16 off the bench for Boston in Game 3.
On the season, the Sixers averaged 36.9% from 3-point range and it has become a staple of their offense. Philadelphia has struggled from 3-point range as they made just nine of 30 shots from deep in Game 3 and have connected at a 30.3% clip (27 for 89) in this series. The Sixers Game 3 loss was overshadowed a monstrous effort by Joel Embiid, who had 22 points and 19 rebounds, and a strong bounce-back game from rookie Ben Simmons as he added 16 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. The Sixers now face a daunting task of overcoming a 0–3 playoff deficit that no team has ever accomplished in a best of 7 series.
The Sixers could very well be up 2–1 in this series but they have not executed down the stretch and Brad Stevens has outcoached Brett Brown. Will the Sixers show up tonight with a chip on their shoulder and fight to avoid the sweep? Are the Celtics simply the better team and a tough matchup for the Sixers? The Celtics are 6–0 ATS in their last 6 Conference Semifinals games and 22–8 ATS in their last 30 games overall. The Sixers are 1–6 against the spread in their last seven overall versus Boston and 2–7 in their last nine at home against them. I can see this game going the Sixers way and lead to a Game 5 in Boston where they close it out. However, laying -6.5 points with the Sixers at this stage is not advised and I’ll take the +6.5 points with the better team. I expect Boston to keep it close and cover the +6.5 point spread.
Celtics vs Sixers Playoff Pick: Boston Celtics +6.5
