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All times Eastern, and all odds via Caesars Sportsbook
🔥 The Hot Ticket
76ers at Celtics, 8 p.m. | TV: TNT
Latest Odds:
Philadelphia 76ers
+8.5
- The Pick: 76ers +7.5 (-110)
- Key Trend: The Sixers are 6-0-1 ATS in their last seven games.
It sure is a tad shocking to see the Sixers up 1-0 against Celtics, especially when they didn’t have 2023 NBA MVP Joel Embiid in the lineup for Game 1. I’m not expecting the Sixers to capture a 2-0 series lead, but I definitely think they’ll cover the spread here.
The Celtics shot the ball extremely well from the field in Game 1, connecting on 58.7 percent of their shots while also hitting 38.5 percent from beyond the arc. Even with scoring at that clip, the Sixers still constantly made life difficult for the Celtics on both ends of the floor. Don’t get me wrong, Harden isn’t going to drop 45 points on a nightly basis, but he’ll likely get even more high-quality looks with Embiid back in the lineup.
Embiid completely changes the dynamic for Philadelphia on both ends of the court. Paul Reed was very productive with 10 points and 13 rebounds in Game 1, but did have to contend with Al Horford and Robert Williams on the glass. Embiid should be able to alter more shots and make the likes of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown think twice about driving like they did in the series opener. I’m expecting another close contest, which means that the Sixers should have no problem covering the spread. Also of note: the Sixers are 4-0-1 ATS over their last five games vs. the Celtics.
💰 More Picks
Oilers at Golden Knights, 9:30 p.m. | TV: ESPN
Latest Odds:
Edmonton Oilers
-120
The Pick: Oilers (-115) — This may be the most polarizing matchup of the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. I’m firmly attaching myself to the Oilers bandwagon and believe they’ll come out strong in this series.
The Oilers are averaging a league-best 4.17 goals-per-game. That’s not exactly hard to do when you have a stable of playmakers that include Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Zach Hyman. In the opening round against the Kings, Draisaitl and McDavid combined to register 21 points (10 goals,11 assists).
For me, this series is going to be won or lost by what type of production these teams get in net. That’s really one of Edmonton’s few weaknesses. Goaltender Stuart Skinner struggled at times against Los Angeles as he compiled a 3.43 goals-against-average. Meanwhile, Vegas netminder Laurent Brossoit performed well with a 2.42 goals-against-average in Round 1 against the Jets. While that’s impressive, facing the Oilers is a completely different animal than going up against the Jets, who scored just 14 goals in the entire series.
Key Trend: The Oilers are 4-0 in the last four meetings in Vegas
76ers at Celtics, 8 p.m. | TV: TNT
The Pick: Jaylen Brown Over 24.5 Points (-121) — Obviously, there’s plenty of money to made in this Sixers/Celtics matchup tonight. Even with Embiid back in the lineup, I’m still comfortable riding with Jaylen Brown’s points prop.
In four games against Philadelphia this season, Brown has put together an average of 22 points per contest. Now, Brown did register an abysmal four-point performance during one of those games, but if you take that out of the equation, he owns a scoring average of 28 points-per-game against the Sixers. Brown has also scored at least 25 points in two of those four contests on the year while also scoring at least 25 points in four of his seven playoff games this year.
Key Trend: Brown has scored at least 25 points in three of his last four games
