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It’s officially win-or-go-home for the Boston Celtics as they travel to face the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 6 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET on Thursday, May 11 from the Wells Fargo Center, and the game will air on ESPN. After stealing a win on the road in Game 5, the 76ers hold a 3-2 series lead over the Celtics.
The injury report for Boston is relatively clean, while Joel Embiid (knee) continues to be listed as questionable for the 76ers. Given that the league’s MVP has taken the floor since his return in Game 2, it appears likely he’ll play on Thursday with an opportunity to close out the series.
At DraftKings Sportsbook the Celtics are 2.5-point favorites. The point total is set at 212.5. Boston is -140 on the moneyline while Philadelphia is +120.
Celtics vs. 76ers, 7:30 p.m. ET
Pick ATS: 76ers +2.5
The 76ers have strung together three wins in this series and they’ve managed to cover the spread in each outing. The 76ers are 27-17-1 against the spread at home while the Celtics are 25-21-0 on the road. Boston is clearly desperate to bounce back from fumbling Game 5, hence the oddsmakers slotting the Celtics as slight favorites.
However, it’s clear the momentum is shifting in the 76ers’ favor. With a shot at reaching the conference finals for the first time since 2001, I think they’ll get the job done Thursday night.
Over/Under: Over 212.5
Both of these teams have scored at will in this series, with the 76ers averaging 113.6 points per game and the Celtics scoring at a clip of 107.8 points per game. The combined total has finished over in three straight games and in four out of the five contests in this series overall. Unless one of these teams goes absolutely cold in Game 6, I’m sticking with the trend of these two teams combining to hit the over.