The Philadelphia 76ers will play another game in these playoffs after avoiding a sweep at the hands of the Boston Celtics thanks to a 103-92 win in Game 4 on Monday. Will the Sixers force a Game 6? Or will the Celtics finish it all this Wednesday?
Register here to make your pick.
Betting Preview for Philadelphia 76ers vs Boston Celtics NBA Eastern Conference Round 2 Game 5 on May 9, 2018
Where: TD Garden, Boston
When: Wednesday, May 9, 8:00 PM EST
Line: Philadelphia 76ers (point spread) vs Boston Celtics (point spread) – view all NBA lines
TV Broadcast: TNT
Betting on the Philadelphia 76ers (-1.5)
T.J. McConnell turned out to be the playoff hero the Sixers did not know they have until, well, Game 4, in which the undrafted player out of Arizona was inserted into the starting lineup and repaid head coach Brett Brown’s trust with a tremendous performance. McConnell scored 19 points and had seven rebounds and five assists in 39 minutes on the floor. With the Sixers’ success with McConnell in the starting unit, expect Philly to keep him in the first five moving until at least Game 5. The Sixers will also have to continue pounding the ball inside. They had 52 points in the paint in Game 4 as opposed to the 30 points in the shaded area Boston had. Having an extra ball carrier in McCollum in the first five helped the Sixers cut down on their turnovers from 14 in Game 3 to just eight on Monday.
Philadelphia is 8-2 SU and 6-4 ATS in their last 10 road games.
Betting on the Boston Celtics (+1.5)
The Celtics may have lost the chance to sweep Philly, but they’re still up 3-1 in the series. That’s not to mention that they’re going to play Game 5 at home on Wednesday, where Boston is 7-0 SU and ATS in its last seven games dating back to the regular season. The Celtics were doomed in Game 4 by their 15 turnovers. It’s the most they had in a game since game 5 of the first round against the Bucks when they had 17. Brad Stevens surely is going to call his team for that, and playing in the friendlier environment next game should help reduce the Celtics’ errors. Boston also shot just 41.3 percent in Game 4, but that’s also likely to change for the better on Wednesday, as the Celtics are shooting 47.4 percent at home in these playoffs. There’s also a need for them to win the battle of the boards or at least limit Philly on the glass after getting outrebounded in Game 4, 53-43.
Writer’s Prediction
Boston wins, 103-100.
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