Sixers vs Celtics game one picks and predictions
The NBA playoffs begin on Monday and the most anticipated NBA match up in the Eastern Conference is the series between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Boston Celtics. This series is expected to be a close one, even though the Sixers will be without Ben Simmons who was lost to an injury. That may seem like making the Sixers vs Celtics game one picks and predictions will be easy, but guess again.
NBA betting line
Reading the NBA line for this game is pretty straightforward. The top sportsbooks opened up the Celtics as favorites. The opening betting line is Celtics (-5.5) with an over/under of 219. The line is already on the move as some sportsbooks have the Celtics at (-6.5) already. This makes sense considering that the Celtics are (-375) to win the series and are expected to be a contender to advance deep in the NBA playoff brackets.
#sixers vs #celtics first round playoff schedule. They open up on Monday at 6:30 pm on ESPN, then play every other day. pic.twitter.com/kV21UBpRIs
— Derek Bodner (@DerekBodnerNBA) August 13, 2020
The Celtics are all grown up
The Celtics youth is taking over led by Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown who are quite the dynamic duo. Kemba Walker and Gordon Hayward add leadership and offense. Brad Stevens is at the helm as one of the best young coaches in the game. Everyone in Boston is already penciling in Boston in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Milwaukee Bucks, but they better not look past this series.
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Embiid is not enough
Joel Embiid is talented and in the past, he has shown that he can take over a game. Embiid will be primarily guarded by a rotation of Enes Kanter and Daniel Theis. He can also look for double-teams on rotations. If healthy he can match the output in December when he put up 38 points against Boston.
Sixers coach Brett Brown has said that the recent rash of injuries will not hinder his playing time against Boston.
“I don’t have concern it’s going to restrict him from playing against the Boston Celtics. I don’t have concern that it’s going to minimize his effectiveness.”
But Philadelphia is more than the big man. Tobias Harris and Alec Burks are bringing a much needed offensive punch to this team. The team is still adjusting the rotation due to several injuries (Glenn Robinson III) but this is the playoffs and I expect the team to be at full strength.
Sixers vs Celtics game one picks and predictions
The Celtics may be the better team, but this game will go down to the wire. The remaining players on the Sixers, led by Tobias Harris are taking it seriously that they are being counted out without Simmons. They have the ability to control the game down low with Embiid and Horford and will give the Celtics big troubles in the paint. The Celtics are overvalued due to the injury to Simmons. The Celtics are 1-4-1 ATS in their last 6 games against a team with a winning straight up record. The best bet is the Sixers and the points.