Philadelphia 76ers vs Boston Celtics: Prediction and Betting Tips | February 27, 2024

The Philadelphia 76ers will take on the Boston Celtics for the fourth and final time this season on Tuesday. Philadelphia, which lost 125-119 on Dec. 1, will be hoping to tie the head-to-head matchup at two games apiece in the next encounter. The Sixers will likely have a tough time accomplishing their goal as they will be without injured players Joel Embiid and Robert Covington.

Boston is on a season-high nine-game winning streak after dispatching the New York Knicks 116-102 on Saturday. They have a commanding 7.5-game lead over the Cleveland Cavaliers (37-19) for the best record in the Eastern Conference. A by the Celtics will decisively clinch them the season series against Philly and improve their NBA-best mark to 46-12.

The 76ers are desperate for wins as they are only 4-7 since “The Process” injured his knee on Jan. 30 against the Golden State Warriors. From second in the East, they have now dropped to fifth with a 33-24 record. Tyrese Maxey and his teammates might end up in the play-in tournament if they can’t string together wins.

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Philadelphia 76ers vs Boston Celtics: Preview, prediction and betting tips

The Celtics will host the 76ers on Tuesday at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts starting at 7:30 p.m. ET. TNT will air the game on national TV. Streaming the matchup is available by subscribing to the NBA League Pass.

Basketball fans can listen to SiriusXM, 98.5 The Sports Hub and 97.5 The Fanatic to catch the action.

Moneyline: 76ers (+550) vs. Celtics (-800)

Spread: 76ers (+12.5) vs. Celtics (-12.5)

Total (Over/Under): 76ers (o229.0 -110) vs Celtics (u229.0 -110)

Editor's note: The odds could change close to the game. The odds listed were as per available information at the time of writing.

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Philadelphia 76ers vs Boston Celtics: Game preview

Losing Embiid has been unsurprisingly tough for the Philadelphia 76ers to overcome. Before he went down with an injury, he was having a historically great season and was on track to win a back-to-back MVP award. Philly made some changes to the roster before the trade deadline, but they will not matter much without Embiid.

Beating the Celtics in Boston where they are 26-3 will be almost impossible. The 76ers can only hope that they can step up on both ends and hope the home team has an off night.

The Celtics are arguably playing better than they have ever been this season. They have won a season-best nine straight games and are looking to even take their play to the next level. Jayson Tatum and his teammates vowed to sustain their aggressiveness until they win the East. It is shaping up to be a long night for Philadelphia.

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Philadelphia 76ers vs Boston Celtics: Starting lineups

Paul Reed will continue to take Joel Embiid’s place in the starting lineup. He will be joined by Tobias Harris, Tyrese Maxey, Buddy Hield and Nic Batum.

The well-rested Boston Celtics will have Kristaps Porzingis, Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Jrue Holiday and Derrick White open the game. Boston’s quintet, which is considered by many to be the best in the NBA, could run riot if the 76ers don’t significantly play better on defense.

Editor's note: These are predicted starting lineups, which could change depending on the availability of players uncertain to play.

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Philadelphia 76ers vs Boston Celtics: Betting tips

Tyrese Maxey gets a 25.5 over/under points prop, which is roughly the same as his season average of 25.8 PPG. The first-time All-Star has been superb in his last five games, averaging 27.0 PPG on 45.0% shooting, including 36.1% from deep. He will be aggressive in looking for his shots as the 76ers’ deadliest threat to score. Maxey could get over his points prop on Tuesday.

Like Maxey, Jayson Tatum has a 25.5 over/under points prop, which is lower than his season average of 26.9 PPG. Tatum hasn’t gotten past 25 points in his last three games, averaging just 21.3 PPG during that span. Boston’s myriad of options on offense doesn’t require him to have an explosive game. He may not get past his points prop against Philly.

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Philadelphia 76ers vs Boston Celtics: Prediction

The Boston Celtics have a number of huge advantages against the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday. They could roll to another big win and do it against Philly’s considerable +12.5 spread.