On Christmas Day, the Boston Celtics host the Philadelphia 76ers at TD Garden. This should be an exciting part of the NBA’s five-game slate. Keep reading for odds, picks and player props for this game, and make sure you also check out our live VSiN programming for more analysis. Our talented hosts and analysts will surely spend some time talking about these games.
MORE: Head to the Pro Picks page for best bets from all of our VSiN hosts and analysts!
How To Watch 76ers vs. Celtics
When: Wednesday, December 25th at 5:00 pm ET
Where: TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts
Channel: ABC / ESPN / ESPN+
76ers vs. Celtics Odds
Odds from DraftKings Sportsbook at time of publish. They can change. Look around for the best prices!
Moneyline: Celtics -455, Sixers +350
Spread: Celtics -10 (-105), Sixers +10 (-115)
Total: Over 222 (-105), Under 222 (-115)
76ers vs. Celtics Analysis
When these lines were first released, Boston was a 4.5-point favorite over Philadelphia at DraftKings Sportsbook. Now, the Celtics are double-digit favorites. Of course, Boston is 22-7 and has the second-best adjusted net rating (+8.1) in basketball. Philadelphia is just 10-17 and has an adjusted net rating of -1.6. However, the Sixers haven’t been healthy all season, but they have their Big Three of Tyrese Maxey, Paul George and Joel Embiid back now. And that makes it a little surprising that they’re getting this many points, especially with Embiid’s Monday night ejection meaning he played only 14 minutes. The big man is going to be well rested. That said, if this is a trap from the oddsmakers to get people to take Philadelphia, I’m jumping at the bait and have a hook sticking through the side of my cheek.
This season, the Celtics are scoring 121.4 points per 100 possessions, according to Cleaning The Glass. But when the Sixers have Maxey, George and Embiid on the court, they’re allowing only 88.6 points per 100 possessions and outscoring opponents by 12.0 points per 100 possessions. This Philadelphia team is dangerous when the stars are healthy, and the Sixers are especially impressive on the defensive end. I’m looking forward to seeing them deal with this challenge.
Embiid should be able to find some success offensively in this game, and Maxey is quick enough to light up Boston’s elite defensive backcourt. The Sixers just need some guys to knock down 3s, as the Celtics are going to be sending help at both players and daring other guys to make shots. That specifically applies to a player like Caleb Martin, who is shooting just 30.5% from deep this season. But Martin went 3 for 5 from 3-point range against the Spurs on Monday, and he shot 44.0% from 3 against the Celtics in last year’s playoffs. There’s something about this matchup that brought out the best of him in Miami, and it’ll be interesting to see if it carries over into this one.
Boston also happens to be playing some lousy basketball lately. The Celtics have lost two of their last three games, with those losses coming against the Bulls (at home) and the depleted Magic. Boston has also failed to cover in 12 of its last 16 games, and a lot of that has to do with the team constantly playing games with inflated spreads. What’s different about this one? And are the Celtics power rated a little too high? I think so.
This is also another game in which I’d be looking to the Under, if I had to play the total. Philadelphia has gone Under in five of its last eight games, and one of the other three games was a push. Meanwhile, the Under has hit in five consecutive Boston games. These are also two bottom-10 teams when it comes to pace.
76ers vs. Celtics Player Props
Kelly Oubre Jr. Over 11.5 Points (-105)
Oubre, like Martin, is a guy that teams can’t pay a lot of attention to. Opponents simply have to focus more on Maxey, Embiid and George, meaning the other players in the Sixers lineup have chances to make plays. Well, Oubre is a guy that can take advantage of the lack of attention. He’s averaging 13.1 points per game this season, and he had scored at least 12 points in eight straight games before failing to do so in his last two. But the minutes and field goal attempts will always be there for Oubre, making him a good play in a game like this. There could even be some more minutes to go around in this game, as KJ Martin is out indefinitely with an injured foot.
76ers vs. Celtics Pick
We really don’t know much about this Sixers team, as we haven’t seen too many minutes with the entire lineup healthy. But Philadelphia is as healthy as it’s going to be right now, and the team should be looking forward to having a national stage to show that it’s not the embarrassment people thought early in the year. This Sixers team is still extremely talented. That should be enough to avoid a blowout loss to a Celtics team that has not been blowing teams out lately.
Bet: Sixers +10.5 (-115)
