Boston Celtics at Philadelphia 76ers
Friday, 12/7/12, 7:00 PM EST, TV: ESPN
Opening Point Spread: Philadelphia -1
Current Betting Line: Boston -1
Opening Total: 190
Current Total: 189.5
Odds Courtesy of Bookmaker
Boston has alternated wins and losses over its last five games, as it comes off a 104-94 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves as 5.5-point home favorites on Wednesday night. “Having Rondo back was big for us,” commented Celtics center Kevin Garnett about having point guard Rajon Rondo back in the lineup. Rondo was handed a two-game suspension by the NBA for a fight that occurred last week. The team is 4-4 on the road this season, with all of those contests coming against Eastern Conference foes. Boston is 11-8 ATS in December the last two-plus seasons.
The Celtics are going to attract a lot of action due to their price on the pro basketball odds page, but they’ve lost five of their last six games at the Wells Fargo Center. Boston also suffered a 106-100 setback to Philadelphia as 5.5-point home favorites on Nov. 9, while going OVER the posted total of 179.5. Forward Paul Pierce led the team with 24 points in that game, while Garnett tallied a double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds.
Philadelphia has dropped back-to-back games due to stalling on offense, which includes a 105-88 defeat to the Minnesota Timberwolves as three-point home favorites on Tuesday. The 76ers will be focused on trying to avoid their first three-game slide of the 2012-13 season, which is a significant factor to consider when making your NBA picks against the spread. Philadelphia is 9-4 ATS as a home underdog of three or fewer points over the last two-plus seasons, with the UNDER going 11-2 in that situation.
The 76ers scored 106 points in the first meeting between these two teams, which was definitely a bump up from averaging 93.7 points per game during the 2011-12 season series. Jrue Holiday and Evan Turner are the player to watch offensively, as they combined for 46 points in that particular meeting, while averaging a combined 25.0 points in last year’s series.
Sports bettors will likely back the 76ers due to the home team being 4-1 ATS in the last five meetings, while the Celtics are 1-6 ATS in their last seven trips to Philadelphia.
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