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After both teams split the first four games of the series, the Eastern Conference semifinals between the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers heads back to Boston for Game 5. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday, May 9 from the TD Garden, and the game will air on TNT.
With the Celtics injury report relatively clean, the major name to follow continues to be Joel Embiid for the 76ers. The 2022-23 NBA MVP is listed as questionable for Game 5 but given that he’s taken the court for every game since his Game 2 return, chances are he will suit up in Boston on Tuesday.
Over at DraftKings Sportsbook, the Celtics are 7.5-point favorites and -305 on the moneyline. The total comes in at 214. Boston is -315 on the moneyline, while Philadelphia comes in at +260.
76ers vs. Celtics, 7:30 p.m. ET
Pick ATS: Celtics -7.5
Through the first four games of the series, it’s been pretty simple: when the Celtics win, they do it by a convincing margin. After taking Games 2 and 3, Boston covered the spread with wins by an average of 23 points. The 76ers may have won a closely contested battle in Game 4, but I’m not entirely sold on them carrying that momentum into Boston. The Celtics are a strong 27-19 against the spread when at home, and I like their chances of adding to that record Tuesday night.
Over/Under: Over 214
Three of the four games in this series have finished over the point total with the lone exception coming in Game 2, which was a 121-87 blowout by the Celtics. Boston is scoring at a clip of 116.3 ppg, while Philadelphia is averaging 106 ppg. Unless one of these teams has the rare cold shooting night, I’m sticking with the theme of a high-scoring affair that decides who goes up 3-2 in this series.