After splitting the first two games with one win apiece, the Eastern Conference semifinal series between the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers shifts to the Wells Fargo Center on Friday, May 5. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET and will air on ESPN.
While the injury report is relatively spotless for the Celtics, the status of Joel Embiid (knee) will be key to watch as he is currently listed as questionable. The 2022-23 NBA MVP returned for Game 2 of this series despite battling through a knee sprain, and he finished with 15 points on 4-for-9 shooting from the floor in 27 minutes.
Over at DraftKings Sportsbook, the Celtics are two-point favorites and -135 on the moneyline, with the score total set at 214.
Celtics vs. 76ers, 7:30 p.m. ET
Pick ATS: 76ers +2
Philadelphia went 26-16-1 against the spread while at home during the regular season, while the Celtics were above .500 at 24-20 versus the spread on the road. The blowout in Game 2 may be more representative of Boston needing to bounce back convincingly, as the 76ers achieved what they needed to by stealing Game 1. Now at home, I expect Philadelphia to at the very least keep it close, with a great opportunity to pick up the win thanks to the home crowd bringing the energy for their newly crowned MVP in Embiid.
Over/Under: Over 214
The point total for Game 1 was set at 215 and finished over thanks to a tightly contested matchup between well-built rosters. I’m throwing away Game 2’s under-finish as an anomaly given the stakes for the Celtics, which means Game 3 should be a fierce battle to take a decisive 2-1 lead. The crowd should give the 76ers a boost, but Boston knows they’ll need to take on one on the road to even the score, so I think a single-digit scoring margin results in the point total hitting over.