Tip off: 8:05 PM EST
Spread: PHI -7
Total: 178
M/L: PHI -310, BOS +260
Betting Odds taken from Bookmaker
Boston
The Celtics are four games above .500 and are going to make the playoffs most likely, but will likely face either Miami or Chicago in the first round, which result in a quick dismissal. There’s really no other option for the Celtics with only 20 games remaining in the season. If they got very hot and reeled off a huge streak, they might be able to move up beyond the 6 seed, as they need to.
Kevin Garnett has become the center in Boston, and he’s doing an admiral job of it. Danny Ainge is probably still regretting the Kendrick Perkins trade, because it’s left the Celtics naked in the paint. Their defense still remains solid, but Perkins was the engine of that machine, and without his presence and toughness, not to mention the fact that the player they obtained (Jeff Green) is injured, has made the Celtics a much weaker team. KG lamented the trade immediately last year, and it looks like the veteran was right: It was horrible.
Celtics Betting Trends:
Boston is 21-25 ATS this season and 9-9 ATS when the total is between 170 and 179.5. They are 9-13 ATS on the road and 8-4 ATS in March. They are 10-13 ATS revenging a loss vs an opponent and 4-6 ATS on Friday nights. They are 11-15 ATS the second half of the season.
Philadelphia
The Sixers are 26-21 this season and are coming off a three point loss to the Knicks. They’ve played well this season, but ultimately are going to need Louis Williams to step up and be a closer. They don’t have any legit closers on their team, and that will hurt them in the playoffs. Williams is the kind of talent who can put up 20 points a game, but then he’ll come back and shoot 3 of 16 the next night. If he were more consistent, the Sixers would be even more dangerous.
Andre Iguodala has solidified himself as a top tier defender in the NBA. He should make the All Defensive team, but will likely be cheated out of the honor because of LeBron James’ popularity. Truth be told, Iggy defends better than LeBron, or any other perimeter defender, if only because he now is very experienced. Iguodala has traditionally given Paul Pierce fits, too, so keep an eye on that matchup. Pierce has a lot of trouble getting Iguodala to bite on his patented pump fakes, and often he’s unable to much space for jump shots.
Sixers Betting Trends:
The Sixers are 25-22 ATS this season and 21-13 ATS as a favorite. They are 10-16 ATS in the second half of the season and 5-5 ATS off an upset loss as a favorite. They are 7-16 ATS vs teams with winning records and 5-1 ATS as a favorite of 6 to 9.5 points.
