By Taylor Marten – Wannamakeabet Staff Writer
76ers +8.5 vs Celtics -8.5 – o/u 211.5
Philadelphia 76ers (12-8)
You come at the king, you best not miss. The Sixers got humbled by LeBron James and the Cavaliers on Monday (Nov. 27) night. It wasn’t just that James dropped 30 points (22 in first-half), 13 rebounds, and six assists against them, but the 76ers shooting was atrocious. Philly went 3-28 (10.7%) from the three-point line. Robert Covington, who has been playing well of late, shot 0-9 from deep and 1-11 from the floor.
Going up against the Wizards on Wednesday (Nov. 29) night, Philadelphia didn’t shoot much better (3-18 from the three-point line), but Ben Simmons (31 points, 18 rebounds) and Joel Embiid (25 points, 14 rebounds) dominated on-the-break and down low in the 118-113 victory.
Night-to-night it’s fools gold trusting a young team this early in the season. As long as Embiid stays healthy, the Sixers will continue to win more than they lose, but it’s the other players who can’t be counted on to contribute consistently.
Philadelphia is both 7-3 against-the-spread and on the over/under on-the-road this season.
Boston Celtics (18-4)
Boston isn’t as good as its recent 16-game winning streak indicated. Talent wins championships, but coaching and game plans do make a difference in the regular season. Greg Popovich has showcased what elite coaching can do over his 20-year tenure in San Antonio, and Brad Stevens has shown that he’s trending toward that level during his time in Boston. The Celtics’ have exceedingly outperformed their roster in recent years, while the front office has incrementally improved the talent and put together a strong combination of vets in their prime and youth.
Boston’s offense has been uneven this season, often causing them to get down by double-digits, but their defense keeps them in games. With the addition of Kyrie Irving, the Celtics have one of the very best closers, and in a league where games are regularly decided in the final few minutes, that commodity makes all the difference. Boston uncharacteristically stumbled down-the-stretch in a loss to the Pistons on Monday (Nov. 27), but have had three days off to regroup before taking on Philly.
The Celtics are 7-2-1 against-the-spread at home and 5-5 on the over/under.
The Pick
Boston -8.5 is a lot, but with the three days off and the Sixers having played last night, I like the Celtics to clamp down defensively after the Detroit loss. Embiid is an offensive force, but Horford is a smart defender, and the Celtics have a player in Jaylen Brown who can match up against Simmons. Brown is used to getting school by LeBron James, but may have more success versus the younger version. No one on Philly can matchup with Irving.
I’m going with the Celtics -8.5 for 2000 units at Wannamakeabet in the Writer’s League and the under on the 212.5 o/u for 500 units.