Philadelphia 76ers vs Boston Celtics Game 1 Pick & Prediction – 05/01/23

An Eastern Conference Second Round series gets underway Monday night when the Philadelphia 76ers visit the Boston Celtics. Philadelphia has had plenty of rest, while the Celtics were playing until Thursday, but health will still be a concern for the Sixers as they head into game one. Below is my NBA pick for the 76ers vs Celtics.

Philadelphia 76ers vs Boston Celtics Betting Pick

The Pick: Boston Celtics -7.5 @ BetOnline

This game will be played at TD Garden at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, May 1, 2023.

Why Bet the Boston Celtics:

✅ Boston has been good against the spread and have covered the spread in eight of their last 10 games played.

✅ The Celtics have won nine of their last 10 games at TD Garden.

✅ Philadelphia has not covered the spread in any of their last five games against Boston.

Philadelphia 76ers Need to Steal a Game

Philadelphia was the only team in the first round to end their series in a sweep. The Sixers played the sixth seed Brooklyn Nets and were able to get rid of them quickly. It was a closer series than a sweep would indicate as the Sixers won the final three games by less than double digits.

The Sixers were without Joel Embiid in game four and he is doubtful to play in game one of this series. Philadelphia cannot compete with the Celtics if they do not have the, likely, MVP in the lineup.

In round one, Embiid averaged 20.0 points, 11.3 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks per game. Tyrese Maxey led the way with 21.8 points and James Harden dished out a team high 8.8 assists.

The Boston Celtics Will Look to Tighten Things Up

Boston would have expected to finish their first round series up quickly, but they needed six games to knock off the Atlanta Hawks. The Celtics were on their way to finishing this series up in five games, but Trae Young went off in game five and forced a game six Thursday night. Ultimately, the Celtics took care of business and are now the favorites to come out of the Eastern Conference.

Boston won the regular season series 3-1 against Philadelphia. The Celtics won both games at home but lost the most recent meeting in early April at Philadelphia.

 In the first round, Jayson Tatum led the Celtics with 27.2 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 5.3 assists per game. Marcus Smart had 1.7 steals and Al Horford led the way with 2.2 blocks.