Philadelphia 76ers vs Boston Celtics 8/17/20 - NBA
The Philadelphia 76ers play Game 1 of their best-of-seven NBA Eastern Conference quarterfinal series on Monday against the Boston Celtics. The 76ers finished the regular 43-30 and were 4-4 during their eight-seeding games. Philadelphia defeated the Houston Rockets 134-96 in the final game of the regular season, but that was a game in which many of the starters sat for both teams.
During the regular season, Joel Embiid was the leading scorer and leading rebounder for Philadelphia with averages of 23.0 points and 11.6 rebounds per game. Ben Simmons was the third leading scorer and the leader in assists with averages of 16.4 points and 8.0 assists per game. Philadelphia had six players averaging double-figures in scoring during the regular season.
Boston finished the regular season 48-24 and in third place in the Eastern Conference standings. Since the NBA restart, Boston is 6-2 and lost its final game of the regular season 96-90 to the Washington Wizards. However, the Celtics had already clinched third place in the conference standings and the starters were rested for the game against the Wizards.
During the regular season, Jayson Tatum was the leading scorer for Boston with an average of 23.4 points per game. Enes Kanter was the leading rebounder with an average of 7.4 per game and Kemba Walker was the leader in assists with an average of 4.8 per game. Boston had five players averaging double-figures in scoring with three averaging 20 or more points per game.
Recent Betting Trends
Philadelphia is 5-12 ATS in its last 17 versus Boston
The OVER has cashed in 11 of the 76ers last 14
Boston is 4-1 SU in its last 5
The UNDER has cashed in 4 of the Celtics last 5 versus the 76ers
Free NBA Pick: Boston Celtics -5.5
This could be one of the most competitive, physical and best series the first round. When these two Atlantic division rivals play, overall records are not even considered. The Celtics have won five of the last seven straight up. Philadelphia has failed to cover the number in 12 of the last 17 versus Boston. Final Score Prediction, Boston Celtics win and cover ATS 113-105.