NBA Picks & Predictions: Celtics vs. 76ers (Thursday)
Thursday night will have three massive Game 6 matchups take center stage. The Knicks, Celtics and Timberwolves look to advance to the next round, while their opponents attempt to force the all-important Game 7. Let's take a deeper look at some of these matchups for our top NBA picks for Celtics vs. 76ers.
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Thursday’s Best NBA Picks & Predictions: Celtics vs. 76ers
(Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook)
Boston Celtics at Philadelphia 76ers
Perhaps the most surprising Game 6 is this matchup between the No. seed and the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference. Boston looked primed to take Game 5 and send the 76ers home, but Joel Embiid and the 76ers had other plans. Philadelphia's big man dominated to the tune of 33 points, four rebounds and eight assists in the 113-97 victory.
Embiid was the story in that game. Since his return from an appendectomy, Boston has not had an answer for the former MVP big man. He's stuffing the stat sheet and making his mark on the team. Boston is not built to defend a big man like Embiid, so there is no reason to think his dominance won't continue to fuel Philadelphia's offense on Thursday night.
The less talked about story in Game 5 was the Celtics’ abysmal shooting, particularly from deep. Shooting just 11-of-39 from deep, the Celtics were eight points below their season average, where they produced a 36.7% success rate from three-point territory.
They're one of the best shooting teams in the league, and they're going up against a Philadelphia team that gives up a lot of attempts. Boston is going to feel like they played with their food at home and should be locked in to try and finish this series early.
Philadelphia found something offensively on Tuesday with Embiid leading the way and some hot shooting. Even before Embiid returned, they showed some capability to put up 100+ points, even at a playoff pace of play.
Boston is certain to recover as they averaged 114 points per game (PPG) in the first four games of the series before the Game 5 dud. I like Boston to take care of business with a statement win in an elimination game that will be surprisingly high scoring.
Picks: Celtics -5.5 (-114) & Over 212.5 Points (-114)