The Eastern Conference will step up a gear this week as the first round of the playoffs continue as the Boston Celtics and the Philadelphia 76ers meet in the second games of their series. The Celtics won the first of the games, and they will be hoping to continue showcasing why they are so highly thought of in game two.
Boston Celtics vs Philadelphia 76ers Odds
| Boston Celtics (-5) | -110 |
| Philadelphia 76ers (+5) | -110 |
Game One Recap
This always looked as though it will be an interesting game for the neutral, as the Sixers and Celtics both boast a host of talent that would be able to hurt their opponents. However, it was Boston that ran out as winners in the first game of the series, as they claimed a 109-101 success. The Celtics flexed their muscles in the second and fourth quarters as they scored at least 30 points in both of those periods.
The Sixers did hold the lead going into the final period as they outscored the Celtics 30-20 in the third quarter. Jayson Tatum top scored for the Celtics, as he scored 32 points in his 41 minutes on the court. Jaylen Brown also added 29 points in the victory for the Celtics, while there were also more than ten points scored in the game by Gordon Hayward and Kemba Walker.
Joel Embiid is often the star for the Sixers, and that was once again the case in game one of this series. He scored 26 points and made one assist in the defeat. Alex Burks and Josh Richardson both scored 18 points in the defeat, while Tobias Harris and Shake Milton scored 15 and 13 points respectively. Philadelphia were more efficient from the field, as they scored 37 of their 80 efforts. They were also more efficient in terms of three-pointers as they scored nine of their 27. However, from the three throw line they were wasteful, as they scored just 18 of their 23 attempts.
Latest Injury News
It will be a tense wait for the Celtics, as they could go into the second game of the series without Gordon Hayward available for selection. There will be a late decision regarding whether he plays or not in the game. Ben Simmons will be missing for the Sixers, and he isn’t expected to be back fit until November. Meanwhile, Glenn Robinson III will be out until next week.
Recent Meetings Between Teams
This is one of the great rivalries in NBA history, and it holds the record for the most meetings in the playoffs. To date, there have been 21 in total, with the Celtics winning on 13 occasions. Boston also won the last meeting in the playoffs in 2017-18.
Boston Celtics vs Philadelphia 76ers Picks
These two sides do match up very well, which means that the second game could be crucial in deciding which of them progresses. The Celtics have been getting stronger as the season has gone on, and that means that it would be hard to bet against them claiming a 2-0 lead when examining the basketball betting markets.
