NBA Preview: Boston Celtics at Philadelphia 76ers

Added on Mar 11, 2011 by Jack Thurman in

NBA

Big night of NBA betting action for Friday and topping the board is an Eastern Conference matchup between the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers at the Wachovia Center. The Celtics are currently trying to hold off the Chicago Bulls atop the East standings with a 1 1/2 game lead. The Sixers are dramatically improved under head coach Doug Collins and especially at home where they’ve become a very dangerous opponent. Philadelphia currently has a firm grasp on the #7 playoff position in the East are just one game back of 6th place New York and 4 games back of fading Atlanta for 5th place.

Boston Celtics at Philadelphia 76ers
March 11, 2011 4:05 PM Pacific

In Boston it’s basically ‘business as usual’ for a veteran, playoff tested team. The Celtics do what they need to do on a nightly basis to win games while keeping their players healthy for the postseason when they start to show their true ability. That makes sense in the ‘big picture’ for the Celtics but it makes them a difficult team to bet on—they are content just winning games and bring the intensity needed to cover a margin. They’ve been fortunate to keep their ‘big guns’ healthy this season but they’ve got a number of nagging injuries on the bench–the biggest impact could be Delonte West who is expected to miss this game.

The 76ers are a very dangerous opponent and particularly on their home court. The Sixers are 21-11 at home this season, though they’ve struggled on the road with a 12-20 mark. They’ve been one of the best pointspread investments in the NBA this season with a 40-23 record including 23-14 ATS as an underdog and 5-2 ATS as a home dog in this price range (+3 or less).

The spate of injuries to the Boston bench could be a particular problem here against the Sixers. Philadelphia’s reserves lead the NBA in scoring. The Sixers have given Boston a very tough time this season—the Celtics won 84-80 at home and survived 102-101 in Philadelphia–but even dating back to last year Philadelphia has covered 4 of the last 5 meetings. Despite their improved performance both straight up and against the spread the Sixers are still somewhat ‘under the radar’ but we’ll call for the outright upset here. Celtics have lost money as a favorite this season going 21-29 ATS.

Bet Philadelphia 76ers +2 over Boston