Betting Matchup Preview
Game Details
- Who: Philadelphia 76ers at Boston Celtics
- When: Tuesday, Oct. 18
- Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
- Where: TD Garden (Boston, MA)
Betting Odds Summary
- Spread: Celtics -2.5 (-110), 76ers +2.5 (-110)
- Moneyline: Celtics (-140), 76ers (+120)
- Total: 214.5 Points (Over -110, Under -110)
Note: Odds and lines are current at the time of writing and subject to change.
To kick off the NBA season, we have the Boston Celtics hosting the Philadelphia 76ers. Many online sportsbooks have the Celtics as a favorite to win the NBA Championship after bringing in Malcolm Brogdon and Blake Griffin. However, the Celtics are facing some coaching issues after suspending Ime Udoka for the entire season after his offseason scandal.
The Celtics turned the reins over to Joe Mazzulla as interim head coach. The 34-year-old has been a Celtics assistant since 2019.
The 76ers traded Ben Simmons last year to the Brooklyn Nets, and they’ll look to be a top seed in the Eastern Conference with James Harden and Joel Embiid leading the squad.
Spread, Moneyline, Total: Celtics vs. 76ers
Heading into this season opener, the 76ers have a clean bill of health, while the Celtics are dealing with numerous injuries.
The Celtics will be without Robert Williams III and Danilo Gallinari to open the season. Brogdon and Marcus Smart are day-to-day.
With those injuries, plus the coaching change, we’re going to take the 76ers moneyline here at +120.
The 76ers have an incredible squad with Embiid, Harden, and Tyrese Maxey. The Sixers also have Tobias Harris, P.J. Tucker, and help off the bench from guys like De’Anthony Melton.
The Celtics were a top-notch defensive unit over the last half of last season and should continue to pressure opponents with Smart in the lineup, but Williams’ absence could cause some issues for Al Horford as he will be forced to cover Embiid.
By the end of the year, the Celtics will, of course, be one of the best teams in the league, but in their first game with an interim head coach and without Williams, the 76ers and their three-headed attack of Maxey, Harden and Embiid pull out the road win.
Player Prop Bets: Celtics vs. 76ers
- Joel Embiid Over 10.5 Rebounds (-130)
To start the season, we’re going to go safe here as we collect more data points.
Embiid has averaged double-digit rebounds every year except for the 2016-17 season.
Without Robert Williams in the lineup, Embiid should have quite an advantage over Horford regarding rebounding opportunities.
Williams and Horford are two guys who average 7-9 rebounds per game. Without them on the court, Embiid should have more opportunities to bang the boards against lesser competition.
Our Same-Game Parlay
- 76ers Moneyline (+115)
- Over 215.5 Points (-105)
- Jaylen Brown Over 23.5 Points (+115)
- James Harden Over 8.5 Assists (-120)
Looking at the Same Game Parlay above, it has odds of +1000. We’ve discussed the 76ers moneyline, so we’ll look at the other legs.
With this being opening night, expect both teams to score plenty of points and cash the over. The Celtics are traditionally a great defensive team. Still, with the offseason turmoil and the absence of Williams, Boston will need to contend with multiple scorers on the 76ers.
As for the Celtics, they’ll be able to score in bunches, thanks to the talented Jaylen Brown. He has always been a great scorer, and he averaged more than 22 points across four games and nearly 38% from beyond the arch against Philly in 2021.
Looking at Harden, he didn’t quite have the massive scoring numbers as last year (22 PPG), but he did average double-digit assists. The style of play and shooting talent in Philly bodes well for Harden to go over nine assists.
