The Philadelphia 76ers aren’t done quite yet. After losing the first three games of their second round series against the Boston Celtics, Philly was able to avoid the sweep by taking care of business in Game 4 to extend the series.
However, the series now shifts back to Boston where the Celtics hop to win and move on to the Eastern Conference Finals. It’s not a given even though the Celtics are the higher seed with the home court advantage.
In fact, Philadelphia enters this game as a slight favorite to win and send the series back home for Game 6. This series could suddenly get a lot more interesting if the 76ers can sneak out with a win next time out in NBA basketball gambling.
Game 5 of this NBA Playoff Series is on Wednesday, May 9, 2018 at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. The contest will be nationally televised on TNT.
We'll have NBA odds at BookMaker.eu available for every game of the 2018 NBA Playoffs.
Odds Analysis
The 76ers are listed as 1.5-point favorites in Game 5, continuing a trend that has seen them favored in every game of this series. However, the Celtics have taken care of business in three of four and will aim to cover once again. Each side has gotten about half of the action so the spread looks good.
The scoring total is listed at 204.5 points, with the “under” the more common choice early on. The 76ers are the -125 favorites on the moneyline, while the Celtics are a slight +105 underdog. Boston is getting the majority of the action to come away with the victory.
Last Time Out
The 76ers used a big third quarter to take control of Game 4 and went on to the 103-92 victory. Guard T.J. McConnell gave the team a big boost, finishing with 19 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Dario Saric led the team with 25 points and eight rebounds. Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons each registered double-doubles as the 76ers had great balance.
The Celtics were led by Jayson Tatum, who had 20 points, but Boston didn’t play very well offensively and missed out on their chance to pull out the sweep. Al Horford was the only player on the team to shoot better than 50 percent, but he took only six shots and finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds. With Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward, the Celtics need more out of Horford next time out.
Key Stat
Zero. That’s the number of times in history, out of 129 tries, that a team has come back from a 3-0 deficit to win a series. Even though the odds are against them, the 76ers are one team that has a puncher’s chance considering they will likely be favored in every game the rest of the way.
Philadelphia will have a tough time in Game 5, as the Boston crowd will be raucous and the Celtics will badly want to close out the series in this one. However, if the 76ers can manage to pick up a win in Game 5, things will get very interesting. Several teams have rallied back from a 3-1 deficit before and that’s the position the 76ers find themselves in at this point.
Free NBA ATS Picks
The 76ers blew a huge lead in Game 2 to put themselves in this predicament but can dig their way out of the big hole with a road win. While many expect the Celtics to wrap up the series in this one, don’t discount Philadelphia’s resolve. The 76ers are the pick to both win this game and cover the spread to force a Game 6 in NBA basketball wagering.
NBA ATS Pick: 76ers 103, Celtics 98
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