Boston Celtics vs Philadelphia 76ers Prediction, Odds, Best Bets - Opening Week

Philadelphia is 9-2 and Boston is 8-2, the two best records in the Eastern Conference, and both teams won on Sunday before a day off. Jayson Tatum and Tyrese Maxey are both scoring near the top of the league, and the tension at Xfinity Mobile Arena is whether Boston's defense travels into the loudest building it has visited this season.

The Matchup

Philadelphia is 9-2, scores 111.0 points per game and allows 107.9, and the 76ers beat Chicago 127-121 on the road on Sunday. Tyrese Maxey leads Philadelphia at 26.9 points per game, LeBron James leads the team at 6.7 assists, and Joel Embiid leads the glass at 9.7 rebounds. The depth behind Embiid is thin tonight. Adem Bona is out with a back sprain, Dominick Barlow is out with a back fracture, and Ariel Hukporti is out after right Achilles surgery, so Embiid carries the middle with no true backup behind him.

Boston is 8-2, scores 115.0 and allows 104.3, and the Celtics have won three straight, the last a 117-97 win at Milwaukee on Sunday. Jayson Tatum leads Boston at 27.1 points and 7.8 assists per game, and Neemias Queta leads the team at 6.2 rebounds. Boston carries no players on the injury report at all, which matters in a game this tight, because the Celtics can play their full rotation for the full forty-eight minutes.

Both teams have played at least ten games, so these are this season's numbers with nothing carried over. DraftKings makes Boston a 1.5-point road favorite at Xfinity Mobile Arena, with a total of 216.5 and the Celtics at -117 on the moneyline.

Key Factors

Boston's defense is the loudest number in this game. The Celtics allow 104.3 points per game, the best mark either team owns in any category, and they do it without fouling their way into short rotations. Philadelphia's offense runs through Maxey's speed and Embiid's post touches, and Boston has the size on the wing, in Tatum and its switching guards, to make both of them work for every clean look.

Philadelphia's counter is real, and it starts at home. The 76ers are 4-1 in this building, Maxey is scoring at a star's level, and Embiid against Queta is a matchup Philadelphia wins on paper every trip down the floor. If Embiid owns that matchup early and Boston has to send help, Maxey and James get the open shots this offense is built around, and the home team can absolutely win this game outright.

What tips it is the last ten minutes. Boston has the deeper rotation, no injury designations, and the one player, Tatum, who scores and creates at the highest level on either roster. In a game priced like a coin flip, the side with the fuller bench and the better defense is the side that survives the possessions where both teams are tired.

Every pick is published with its line before the game. Odds via consensus sportsbooks at time of writing and move constantly. Must be 21+. If gambling is a problem, call or text 1-800-GAMBLER.