The Boston Celtics will be at the Wells Fargo Center to take on a divisional foe in the Philadelphia 76ers. Action gets underway at 6:00 pm ET on Sunday, Mar. 20 and can be seen on CNE and CSP.
The 76ers are expecting a better outcome after their 111-97 loss to the Thunder on Friday. Nik Stauskas finished with 23 points to lead the team. The Celtics, meanwhile, are feeling some disappointment after their 105-91 loss at the hands of the Raptors on Friday. Isaiah Thomas had a team-high 20 points.
The inefficient 76ers offense (30th in the NBA with an offensive efficiency of 97.0) will square off against the elite Celtics defense (fourth in the league with a defensive efficiency of 101.3). The Celtics figure to have the advantage on that end of the court.
The Celtics have won all three games against the 76ers this season, including a decisive 112-92 victory in their last matchup. Jae Crowder had a stellar game with 20 points, two rebounds, one assist, two steals, and four three-pointers.
The 76ers come into this game 9-60 Straight Up (SU) and 31-37-1 Against The Spread (ATS). They have gone 8-6 SU and 6-8 ATS against teams from their own division. The 76ers are the second-best team in the league at blocking shots, averaging 6.2 blocks per game.
On the other side, Boston has a SU record of 39-30 and an ATS record of 35-32-2. Against fellow division members, Boston has a 2-11 SU and a 4-9 ATS record. Boston is one of the top foul-shooting teams in the league, hitting .790 of their shots from the line. Defenses have a tough time accounting for every player when up against the Celtics, who are known for distributing the ball with 24.3 assists per game. The Boston defense has been a problem for competitors, allowing only .329 shooting from three-point range to its opponents. Teams with weak ball handling have not fared well against the Celtics, who rank second in the league with 9.4 steals per game. Boston makes opponents pay for turning the ball over, ranking fourth in points off turnovers with an average of 18.7 per game.
The Celtics’ win over Philadelphia in their last clash brought their SU record in the past 10 games to 8-2. Additionally, the Celtics hold the advantage ATS with a record of 7-3.
Predictions: SU Winner – Bos
Notes
“Philadelphia is 5-10 ATS in its last 15 games “.
“Philadelphia is 1-17 SU in its last 18 games “.
“Philadelphia is 3-6 ATS in its last 9 games at home”.
“Philadelphia is 1-10 SU in its last 11 games at home”.
“Philadelphia is 1-6 ATS in its last 7 games when playing Boston”.
“Philadelphia is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing Boston”.
“Philadelphia is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against Boston”.
“Philadelphia is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Boston”.
“Boston is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Philadelphia”.
Ranked zeroth, Philadelphia scores 0.0 points per game. On the other hand, Boston allows 0.0 and also ranks zeroth (in points allowed).
Philadelphia and Boston are well matched, ranking zeroth in points per home game and points allowed per away game respectively. Philadelphia puts up an average of 0.0 points per home game, while Boston gives up 0.0 points per away game on average.
Both Philadelphia and Boston have losing records when they allow and score fewer than 100 points, respectively. The 76ers are 6-14 in the former situation, and the Celtics are 5-14 in the latter.
The Philadelphia 76ers have an underachieving 3-46 record in games where they have allowed at least 100 points. The Boston Celtics are 34-16 when they hit triple digits.
The Celtics have a defensive rating of 101.3 (ranked fourth), while the 76ers have an offensive rating of 97.0 (ranked 30th).
Boston beats Philadelphia in both possessions per game and points per possession. The Celtics average 101.7 possessions and 1.040 points per possession, while the 76ers average 100.1 possessions with .970 points per possession.
The Philadelphia 76ers average an effective field goal percentage of 48.9% this season. The Boston Celtics have an abysmal record of 7-22 when opponents have an EFF% of 48.9% or greater.
Philadelphia makes an average of 21.0 assists per game (ranked 21st). Boston ranks higher in assists with 24.3 (ranked fifth).
Philadelphia makes an average of 6.2 blocks per game (ranked second), while Boston makes 4.2 blocks per game (ranked 23rd).
The Philadelphia 76ers rank 24th in offensive rebounding, while the Boston Celtics rank 17th in defensive rebounding.
The Philadelphia 76ers rank eighth in steals, with an average of 8.5 per game. When the Boston Celtics allow at least 8 steals, they have a solid 22-13 record.
