The Boston Celtics don’t care that several of their best players are on the sidelines these days. They just keep winning. Boston was the underdog in each of its first two home games against the Philadelphia 76ers in the Eastern Conference Semifinals but won them both.
The Celtics will now take a 2-0 series lead into Philadelphia, and a third straight win would be a huge boost in trying to wrap up an East Finals berth. The 76ers don’t plan to let that happen and the oddsmakers have installed them as strong favorites to win Game 3 and get back into the series.
The Celtics have looked like the better team through a pair of games but Philadelphia is expected to bounce back next time out in NBA basketball gambling.
Game 3 of this NBA Playoff Series is on Saturday, May 5, 2018 at 5 p.m. ET at Wells Fargo Center Philadelphia in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The contest will be nationally televised on ESPN.
We'll have NBA odds at BookMaker.eu available for every game of the 2018 NBA Playoffs.
Odds Analysis
It’s a little surprising to see that the 76ers are 9.5-point favorites in Game 3, and the betting public has been all over the Celtics. Boston has gotten about 85 percent of the action to cover the spread.
The scoring total is listed at 207 points, with the “over” the more popular choice early on. The 76ers are listed as heavy -560 favorites to win this game on the moneyline, while the Celtics are +422 underdogs. For those who believe Boston can once again outperform expectations, this is certainly an interesting line in NBA basketball betting.
Last Time Out
The 76ers had a 22-point second quarter lead on the Celtics and seemed poised to tie this series at one game apiece. However, Boston wasted little time in rallying back and ended up picking up the 108-103 victory.
Jayson Tatum led the way for the Celtics with 21 points and hit some big free throws late. Terry Rozier added 20 points, nine assists and seven rebounds as he has become an integral part of the team. The 76ers were led by Joel Embiid, who finished with 20 points, 14 rebounds and five assists, while J.J. Redick and Robert Covington also had strong games.
Ben Simmons underperformed, finishing with only one point, seven assists and five rebounds. He is one of the most talented players in this series and can’t be that invisible on the offensive end of the floor in Game 3.
Injury Report
Celtics rookie Jaylen Brown returned to the court in Game 2 after missing the opener of this series with a hamstring injury. It’s great news for Boston to have him back, as the team is already going through the playoffs without stars Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward due to injury.
Those losses are why Boston entered this series as the underdog, but it keeps outplaying those expectations. Brown finished Game 2 with 13 points and four rebounds in 25 minutes and should play a key role in the rest of this series.
Free NBA ATS Picks
The 76ers missed a golden chance to grab control of this series by splitting in Boston, and now are in dire straits. Philadelphia should come out with a ton of energy behind its crowd and put together a nice performance. The Celtics are too well-coached to get blown out, so choose Boston to cover this spread. However, the 76ers are the pick to win the game and pull back to within 2-1 in NBA basketball gambling.
The “over” is the choice on the scoring total as the 76ers should be able to score more easily in this one than they have done so far in the first two contests.
NBA ATS Pick: 76ers 109, Celtics 104
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