The Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers tip off Game 7 of their epic series on Sunday in Beantown. Many expect the winner of this series to roll the Miami Heat and consider this series to be the true Eastern Conference final. Nothing is better than a Game 7 regarding playoff betting, so buckle up for a wild afternoon in Boston.
The NBA odds for Sunday list the Celtics as significant home favorites at -275, with the full game total at 200½.
Celtics Heavily Favored at Home
It’s shocking to see moneyline odds of -275 for a team in a Game 7 matchup. The series is down to its last game because these teams are so evenly matched. So what gives?
I’m not suggesting the Celtics don’t deserve to be favored, but their moneyline odds suggest this game will be a blowout win for Boston at home.
Jayson Tatum must be at his best, and he’s been very inconsistent in this series. He’s shooting just 33% from the field in his last two games and went an abysmal 5 of 21 in Game 6. He has been very active on the boards with 10.8 rebounds per game, but the Celtics need him to do better with the ball in his hands.
On the flip side, Jaylen Brown is shooting over 55% from the field, but his rebounding numbers are down from what they were during the regular season.
I view Tatum as the make-or-break player for the Celtics on Sunday. Somehow Boston won while Tatums shot 1 of 14 in the first three quarters of Game 6. He erased some doubt after three late threes helped seal the win, but I still see a worrying trend of poor play. The Sixers’ defense is doing a perfect job with Tatum and I don’t expect that to change on Sunday.
The more I look at this game, the less the NBA lines for Boston make sense to me.
Will the Doc Rivers Curse Strike Again?
I don’t generally put too much into coaching stats, but Sunday’s Game 7 might be an exception. Rivers has a 6-9 record as a coach in Game 7s. Those nine losses put him ahead of every other coach in NBA history in Game 7 defeats. The last Game 7 Rivers won was in 2015, when the Los Angeles Clippers beat the San Antonio Spurs in the first round.
Furthermore, Rivers has never won a Game 7 on the road. This alone makes the 76ers a risky NBA bet on Sunday.
Teams coached by Rivers struggle in all elimination games and have lost nine in a row when they had a chance to clinch. This includes Game 6 at home on Thursday.
Doc Rivers now falls to 17-32 (34.7%) straight up with a chance to clinch a series.
His 32 losses in this spot is by far the most of any coach in NBA history. pic.twitter.com/TGfwOkVxRy
— Evan Abrams (@EvanHAbrams) May 12, 2023
Meanwhile, the Celtics are 5-2 in their previous seven Game 7s at the Garden and 5-1 in their last six since 2012.
The good news is that the 76ers are 2-1 in Boston during this series and have valuable odds to win outright. As far as Rivers goes, he may be 17-32 in clinching games but, on the bright side, most coaches never lead teams to 49 playoff elimination games in the first place.
With the juiciest NBA odds I’ve seen in a Game 7, I’m finding it hard to pass up the potential payout provided by Philly.
76ers vs Celtics Game Injuries
76ers vs Celtics Head-to-Head
The Celtics had just two wins during the regular season, and just one win against the NBA spread versus Philly since October.
76ers vs Celtics Game Information
- Game: 76ers (54-28) vs Celtics (57-25)
- Location TD Garden, Boston, MA
- Day/Time: Sunday, May 14, 3:30 p.m. ET
- 76ers vs Celtics Live Stream: NBA Game Pass
76ers vs Celtics Betting Lines
76ers vs Celtics Picks and Prediction
I don’t care that Rivers is 0-9 in his last nine chances to make the Conference Finals dating back to 2015. I mean, I care a little, but not enough to dissuade me from jumping all over the Sixers Las Vegas odds of +225 to win outright. Philly already took two games on the road in this series, and I see no reason why the odds are so slanted against them on Sunday.
The Boston Celtics are listed at -275 in our Vegas NBA lines. If you wager $100 on the Celtics, you can win $36. The Philadelphia 76ers are +225, offering a chance to win $225 on a $100 wager.
The implied probability attached to the betting lines gives the Celtics a 73.33% chance to win, with the 76ers at 30.77%.
76ers vs Celtics Trends
76ers vs Celtics Edge
76ers vs Celtics Results
76ers vs Celtics Game Summary
Celtics vs 76ers Previous Game (May 11, 2023)
The NBA Playoffs continue on Thursday with a pivotal Game 6 between the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers. Philly silenced the crowd at the TD Garden in Game 5 after beating Boston 115-103 to take a 3-2 series lead. The Celtics have an uphill battle now that the series shifts back to Philadelphia, with the Sixers one win away from the Eastern Conference Finals.
Celtics vs 76ers Game Summary
