The Philadelphia 76ers were right to win their Play-In game last week, lest they risk a single-elimination worry, but the reward of facing the Boston Celtics instead of the stumbling Pistons is a difficult one to swallow.
My 76ers vs. Celtics same-game parlay and NBA picks understand Boston will not let up the gas anytime soon, certainly not in Game 2 on Tuesday, April 21.
Our best 76ers vs Celtics SGP for Game 2
The Boston Celtics led by 18 at halftime in Game 1 despite shooting just 33.3% from beyond the arc in the first half and giving up more field-goal attempts to the Philadelphia 76ers than they took themselves. Reread that sentence and realize, that is just how much better Boston is than Philadelphia. Even playing poorly yielded an 18-point lead.
The 76ers should shoot better, but so should the Celtics.
There really may not be a path to competitiveness for Philadelphia in this series, and that shows early and often.
Leaning on someone like Andre Drummond — in part because Joel Embiid is sidelined after an appendectomy — underscores how much of a mismatch this series should be. Drummond is a quality player, but he cannot defend anyone in a Boston uniform.
And for that matter, he is not enough of an offensive threat to do anything but drag down Philadelphia’s offense.
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change.
Not intended for use in MA.
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