76ers vs Celtics Pick, Preview & Betting Odds For Wednesday, February 8th

Check out our free 76ers vs Celtics pick and preview for this NBA game in Boston. See who we like to win and cover the spread in this NBA matchup.

76ers vs Celtics NBA Pick & Preview

Sport: NBA
Teams: Philadelphia 76ers at Boston Celtics
Where: Boston at TD Garden
Date: Wednesday, February 8th
Betting Odds BOS -4.5, PHI +158 | BOS -194 O/U OFF

So far, the 76ers have put together an overall record of 34-18, while going 29-22-1 vs the spread. In the teams past 3 games, their overall mark sits at 2-1. Philadelphia is 2-1 vs the spread in these matchups.

The 76ers are coming off a disappointing 108-97 loss to the Knicks. Going into the game, they were favored to win by 4 points. Philadelphia missed out on an opportunity to add a win to their resume, as they held a 2 point lead going into halftime. In the loss, Joel Embiid led the team in scoring with 31 points on a field goal percentage of 37.5%.

So far, the Celtics have put together an overall record of 38-16, while going 27-26-1 vs the spread. Across the team’s previous 3 games, they have gone 2-1 straight-up and 2-1 vs the spread.

In their previous game, the Celtics took down the Pistons by a score of 111-99. Not only did they come away with a straight up win, but they also covered the spread as 9 point favorites. Boston went on to win the game, as they led by 7 heading into halftime. Leading the team in scoring was Jayson Tatum, as he contributed 34 points while hitting 45.8% of his shots.

Head To Head Recap & Stats

I Last year, the 76ers saw a drop in overall scoring when playing the Celtics, averaging 98.25 points per game. While the 76ers struggled on offense in the series, the Celtics maintained their usual level of scoring at 106.25 vs Philadelphia. Although the 76ers have the better ATS mark across the previous 5 head-head matchups at 3-2, the average scoring margin sits in favor of Boston, as they averaged 110 points per game while allowing 102. The over-under record in these same games is 3-2, with the teams combining for an average of 212 points per game.

Odds & Free Betting Analysis For This NBA Game

Through 52 games, Philadelphia is averaging 114.6 points per game (13th). One area that the Philadelphia offense is finding success, is their ability to get to the free-throw line. So far, the team is averaging 20.4 made free-throws per contest. Despite shooting the ball well from outside, Philadelphia has not done a good job taking care of the ball. So far, they are averaging 13.4 turnovers per game.

Against the Celtics, the 76ers will look to continue their strong defensive play. For the year, they are the 8th ranked unit at 107.33 points per game.

One situation to keep an eye on leading up the game is the availability of Joel Embiid, as he is currently questionable on the injury report. If he is able to play, the team will have it’s 1-2 punch availble as Embiid leads the team in scoring at 33.4 points per game while Harris is 2nd at 16.1. For the season, Embiid is 5th in the NBA in usage rate and 6th in player efficiency. Behind him, Harris has taken 15.0% of the team’s field goal attempts, connecting at a rate of 50.6%.

Through 54 games, Boston is the 3rd best scoring team at 117.6 points per game. So far, the Celtics are averaging 99.4 possessions per game, which places them below the NBA average. Even though the team has preferred to play at a slower pace, their effective field goal percentage of 56.1% has helped them with their overall scoring numbers.

Against the 76ers, the Celtics will look to continue their strong defensive play. For the year, they are the 1st ranked unit at 104.48 points per game.

This season, the Celtics offense has primarily worked through Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown who are 1st and 2nd on the team in scoring. In his 51 games, Tatum is 4th in the NBA at 30.9 points per game. So far, him and Brown have accounted for 48% of the team’s field goal attempts while combining to average 57.9 points per contest. In addition to sitting 2nd on the team in scoring, Jaylen Brown is grabbing 7.1 rebounds for Boston to go along with 3.2 assists.