NBA Playoffs Best Bets Today: Philadelphia 76ers vs. Boston Celtics Game 7 Odds & Player Props

It is going to be a great weekend for NBA fans with three first-round series going the distance. First up, the Philadelphia 76ers take on the Boston Celtics at TD Garden. It is a matchup with a ton of history, regular season and playoffs. Despite losing the last two games, Boston is a 7.5-point favorite.

Of course, at this point, the history, the records, or the other six games of this series don’t matter. The only thing that matters is who can win tonight. Let’s go over the odds and see if we can figure out who will take this pivotal game.

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NBA Playoff Best Bets: Philadelphia 76ers vs. Boston Celtics (Odds & Prediction)

• Spread: Philadelphia 76ers +7.5 (-110) | Boston Celtics -7.5 (-110)
• Moneyline: Philadelphia 76ers +235 | Boston Celtics -290
• Total: O/U 205.5 (-110/-110)

Odds via bet365

So Much History

As two of the NBA's oldest franchises, these two teams have a long, deep history, dating back to November 30, 1949. That was the first time the Syracuse Nationals (who would eventually become the Philadelphia 76ers) and the Boston Celtics met (the Nationals won, 87-71).

Over the years, the two teams have met 475 times, with the Celtics coming out on top in 275 of those matchups. In the postseason, they’ve met 122 times, with Boston winning 69 of them. Of the 22 times they’ve met in a playoff series, the Celtics have won 15, including the last seven. To add a little more to the historical significance of this game, it is the ninth time these two have met in Game 7 of a playoff series (Boston is 6-2 in those games).

No two teams have met more in Game 7 during the postseason. But history doesn’t exactly bode well for the 76ers. The last time they won was back in 1982. Philadelphia featured future Hall of Famer Julius Erving, while another future Hall of Famer, Larry Bird, led the Celtics.

Could this be Philadelphia’s year? Are the 76ers peaking at the right time? If they can get the win tonight, the 76ers will become just the seventh No. 7 seed to beat a No. 2 seed.

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NBA Playoffs Game 7 Preview: 76ers vs. Celtics

In the first four games of the series, Boston looked like a No. 2 seed that would eventually move on to the next round. It was putting up 114 points per game (third-best), shooting 45.5% from the field (seventh-best), and was second (47.2 per game) in rebounding and third (37.6%) in 3-point percentage.

Defensively, the Celtics hadn’t been the best in that stretch (108.2 rating, eighth best), but held the 76ers to under 100 points per game (99.5).

Philadelphia, by comparison, was last in rebounding (37.3 per game), last in scoring (99.5 points per game), and 11th-best in field-goal percentage (42.9%). On the defensive end, they were rated as the worst at 123.9 and were 14th in points allowed. Getting Joel Embiid back in Game 4 was supposed to help the 76ers, but it didn’t have the impact fans had hoped for.

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However, after knocking the rust off, Embiid has certainly had an impact in the last two games, and the 76ers have been a different team. Philly has gone from being one of the more porous defenses in the postseason to holding Boston to 95.5 points per game. It was the worst-rated defense in Games 1-4, but have been the fourth-best over the last two. The Celtics' improvement on the scoreboard was not as dramatic (109.5 points per game), but it didn’t need to be thanks to a stellar effort on the defensive end.

Getting a historical performance from Tyrese Maxey in Game 6 certainly helped. Maxey is the first 76er since Julius Erving to go for 30 points and five assists in a playoff game with no turnovers (that’s pretty good company; via ESPN Insights).

If you're already looking ahead to the NBA Finals and eventual champion, Ballislife Bets has future betting odds available for you on our website.

My Pick: Over 205.5 (-110, bet365)

Losing Jayson Tatum in the second half didn’t help the Celtics in Game 6. But, according to reports, it sounds like pulling him out was just the team being cautious. He is not on the injury report for Game 7. Boston should be at full strength. Embiid is on the injury report for the 76ers. But there is no reason to think he will not play.

So — how will this game go?

I hate to boil down how a game may play out to a single stat, but there is one stat that can’t be ignored in this game. Over the first four in the series, the Celtics averaged 48.5 3-point attempts per game, making 18.3 for 37.6%. This was a step above their regular season numbers (15.5-42.1, 36.7%).

But over the last two games, they’ve averaged 11.5 made 3-pointers in 40 attempts for a shot percentage of 28.5%. If you believe the Celtics are due, you’ll want to take them to cover. However, if you want to give the 76ers a little credit for playing well, consider taking Philly and the points.

So, as far as a winner goes, this one could go either way. However, while defense has played a role, the last game was the only one in the series not to go over tonight’s total. If anything, I think we’ll see more offense tonight, sending the final score over this mark.

76ers vs. Celtics Game 7 Props

• Payton Pritchard, Over 7.5 3-Point Attempts at +115

If there is one thing we can probably count on in this game, it is Boston taking a whole bunch of 3-pointers. I’m not confident it’ll make a bunch, but the Celtics will take their shots. Pritchard averaged 7.1 attempts per game in the regular season and has taken an average of eight per game in this series.

He’ll take his shots in this game, as will Jayson Tatum (O/U 8.5). But since Pritchard has plus-money odds, I’m betting on him.

• Tyrese Maxey, Over 24.5 Points at -105

Maxey is the most explosive player the 76ers have. Getting the ball into his hands early and often will be one of the keys to victory for Philadelphia. Boston knows this and will likely defend accordingly. But Maxey has gone over this point total in seven of 10 games against Boston this season.

• Paul George, Over 15.5 Points at -125

George doesn’t blow up the scoreboard, but he has been a consistent contributor for the 76ers of late. He’s gone over this total in all six games of this series and in 13 of his last 15. Boston’s defense will likely be more concerned with Maxey and Embiid, which could/should free up George for additional shots.