The challenge of toppling the NBA playoffs odds would be daunting enough for the Philadelphia 76ers if they were completely healthy.
But here's the thing: They're not.
With All-Star point guard Ben Simmons out indefinitely with a knee injury, the 76ers find themselves behind the 8-ball as they kick off their Eastern Conference quarter-final series with the Boston Celtics on Monday night.
Here are our NBA free picks and predictions for 76ers vs. Celtics on August 17.
Philadelphia 76ers vs Boston Celtics betting preview
NBA Odds to Win Series
Philadelphia: +350
Boston: -500
Injuries
Philadelphia: PG Ben Simmons (Out), SF Glenn Robinson (Questionable)
Boston: G Romeo Langford (Doubtful), C Daniel Theis (Questionable)
Find our latest NBA injury reports for every game.
Betting Trend to Know
The Celtics are 12-5 ATS in their previous 17 games vs. the 76ers. Find more NBA betting trends for 76ers vs. Celtics.
AGAINST THE SPREAD PICK
Boston has a lot going for it as it looks to make its first NBA Finals appearance in a decade. The Celtics have dominated the ATS series with Philadelphia in recent years, and were an impressive 5-3 SU (but went just 3-4-1 ATS) in eight games in the bubble.
But it's the health piece that makes this pick a whole lot easier. Boston should have its starting core healthy and ready for action by Monday's tipoff; that will go a long way in helping the Celtics overcome a rough regular season showing in which they dropped three of four to the Sixers. And Philly has struggled recently, dropping three straight before closing the season with a meaningless rout of Houston.
Given how these teams are playing right now, and how big Simmons' absence is for the Sixers, we like the Celtics a lot here.
PREDICTION: Celtics -5.5 (-110)
OVER/UNDER PICK
Oddsmakers are expecting teams to settle down a bit now that the playoffs are underway. But are we really going to ignore the fact that these teams combined to average more than 238 points in the regular-season re-start?
The Sixers were somewhat irresponsible on the defensive end, but you can't fault how they fared on offense. Philadelphia boasted the fifth-best post-hiatus scoring average in the league, racking up 120.1 points. The Sixers did plenty of damage from beyond the arc, with their 41.6-percent success rate in eight games ranking second only to San Antonio.
The Celtics were no slouches themselves, finishing eighth in the re-start with 118.9 points per game. Boston also excelled from deep (37.4 percent, seventh) and finished with the fifth-most second-chance points per game (14.1), also ranking fifth in fast-break points per outing (13.1).
Things might calm as the series goes on, but we're expecting these teams to shoot the lights out in Game 1.
PREDICTION: Over 218.5 (-110)
1ST QUARTER MARGIN PROP PICK
We like the Celtics a lot, but that doesn't mean this game will be a rout – especially in the early going. The Sixers are a competent team at both ends of the court, and boasted an average margin of +1.9 points in the first quarter since returning to action.
That said, Boston put up a +2.1 first-quarter scoring margin while holding teams to the fourth-fewest first-quarter points in the NBA (25.1). This one should be close after 12 minutes, so we're taking the Celtics to own a slim advantage.
PREDICTION: Boston 3-4 1st quarter margin (+700)
76ers vs Celtics Betting Card
- Celtics -5.5 (-110)
- Over 218.5 (-110)
- Boston 3-4 1st quarter margin (+700)
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