The Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers will meet in NBA Cup action on Friday night in Philly. The Sixers are off to an unbeaten start despite a mountain of injury concerns and they will look to pick up a second win over the Celtics in as many tries this season. Before this NBA Cup group stage game tips off, continue reading to get my Celtics vs 76ers prediction for this contest.
Our Celtics vs 76ers Pick
- Pick: 76ers -1.5
- Confidence: 3 out of 5
Game Snapshot
- Matchup: Boston Celtics @ Philadelphia 76ers
- Date & Time: Friday, October 31, 7:00 p.m. ET
- Venue: Xfinity Mobile Arena, Philadelphia, PA
- Broadcast: Prime Video
Key Storylines
- Philadelphia is off to a hot start at 4-0 overall. They started their season with a win over the Celtics and have not looked back. The Sixers are expected to have Joel Embiid on the floor tonight and they will try to get the better of the short-handed Celtics.
- Boston sits at 2-3 and is still adjusting to life without star forward Jayson Tatum. Tatum is sidelined with an Achilles injury and Boston has struggled to generate consistent offense without him early in the year.
- The Celtics have to lean heavily on Jaylen Brown (26.8 PPG) and role players like Payton Pritchard to step up and fill the offensive void left by Tatum’s absence. So far, that has worked in spurts, but not consistently enough for the Celtics to play at a high level on a regular basis just yet.
- The 76ers are missing veteran wing Paul George (knee) and guard Jared McCain (thumb) for this game. The fact that the Sixers are unbeaten without them in the lineup is an encouraging sign.
- This is the first game of group play in the NBA Cup for both of these teams. Getting a win is the most important thing, but point differential is also a concern for tiebreaker purposes. Both teams will try to win and do so by a large margin.
Head-to-Head & Betting Trends
- Philly defated Boston 117-116 in the opening game of the season for these teams in Boston on October 22.
- Philadelphia is 3-1 against the spread so far this season.
- Boston is 2-3 against the spread on the year.
- Boston is 2-3 on their over/unders early in the season.
- All four games for the 76ers this season have gone over their totals.
Best Player Props to Watch
| Player | Prop |
|---|---|
| Tyrese Maxey (76ers) | Over 29.5 points |
| Jaylen Brown (Celtics) | Over 25.5 points |
| Derrick White (Celtics) | Under 21.5 points |
Celtics vs 76ers Model Projection
Score Projection: Boston Celtics 113 – Philadelphia 76ers 117
Win Probability: Celtics 44%, 76ers 56%
Final Thoughts
I am taking the Philadelphia 76ers to win and cover the spread at home against the Boston Celtics in this contest. The Sixers have exceeded my expectations early on and I expect that to continue against a Celtics squad that just doesn’t look composed without Jayson Tatum to lead them. Lay the points with Philly here, as they should move to 5-0 on the young NBA season.
