The Boston Celtics (57-25, 32-9 home) meet the Philadelphia 76ers (54-28, 25-16 away) in the deciding Game 7 to see which team will advance to the Eastern Conference Finals. Boston held off elimination with a low scoring 95-86 victory in Philadelphia on Thursday to force a Game 7.
Sunday’s contest tips off at 3:30 p.m. EST inside the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. The Celtics are a 6.5-point favorite, and the over/under total is 201 points.
What to Know – Philadelphia 76ers
A win on Sunday would advance the Sixers to the franchise’s first Finals appearance since 2001, when Philadelphia knocked off the Bucks to move to the NBA Finals, eventually losing to the Los Angeles Lakers. The Sixers opened the playoffs with a four-game sweep of the Brooklyn Nets.
Offensively, Philadelphia is averaging 104.0 points per game in the playoffs, thanks to 44.4% shooting from the floor and 37.5% from the 3-point line. On defense, the Sixers surrender 103.3 ppg, 45.4% shooting from the field, and 35.8% from deep.
The Sixers have used the offensive production of a trio of players to get them to where they are this postseason. Joel Embiid comes in averaging a double-double, 24.8 ppg, and 10.0 rpg, with James Harden (21.4 ppg) and Tyrese Maxey (20.9 ppg) contributing to the offensive success of Philadelphia.
Philadelphia is 54-37-1 against the spread and 26-19-1 ATS on the road. The Sixers own an 8-3-1 mark ATS over their previous 12 contests.
What to Know – Boston Celtics
Boston has a chance to return to the Conference Finals for the second year in a row and fourth time in seven years. The Celtics survived the Atlanta Hawks in six games in the opening playoff series.
Boston’s offense has scored 115.8 ppg during the postseason, shooting 48.8% from the field and 39.1% from beyond the arc. Defensively, the Celtics allow 110.0 ppg, 44.8% shooting from the floor, and 36.5% from three.
Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown have carried the Celtics throughout the playoffs, but it was Marcus Smart who paced Boston in scoring in Game 6.
Smart’s 22-point showing last game was the first time this postseason that either Tatum or Brown didn’t lead the Celtics in scoring. Tatum had his worst outing of the postseason, shooting 5-of-21 from the field and 4-of-11 from deep.
The Celtics are 52-41-1 ATS and 27-20 ATS inside their home arena. In their last 15 games played on Sunday’s, Boston is 10-5 ATS.
The Pick is In
The Celtics surviving in Philadelphia, even with the poor offensive play by Tatum, has to give Boston a huge boost of confidence heading into the series finale on its home floor.
Philadelphia will play tough, but we like the home team to pull away late in the second half and punch their ticket to the Eastern Conference Finals to face the Miami Heat.
The Pick: Boston Celtics -6.5
