After 2 straight defeats, the Celtics will look to get back on track this Saturday as they head to Philadelphia for a back to back matchup with the 76ers. Just a few days ago, the Celtics collapsed in the 4th quarter as they went down 117-109. Jayson Tatum will be out again so the trio of Walker, Smart and Brown on offence is the key for Boston causing an upset. While on defence, they need to figure out a gameplan behind stopping Joel Embiid (42 pts).<\/p>\n
The 76ers currently lead the East with 10 wins on the season and come off a confidence building comeback victory over the Celtics at this venue. Embiid monstered the Celts with 42 points and 10 rebounds. So it’s hard to see him slowing down considering the Celtics are undersized in this matchup. Shake Milton also continued his good form off the bench with 16 points and Tobais Harris was solid with 22 points in 40 minutes of action.<\/p>\n
While the Celtics fell apart in their recent 117-109 loss to the 76ers, there’s a good chance they can rebound. They did hold a lead for the majority of that game and if they can stop the Embiid show, they’re a good chance of a big upset. After back to back defeats, this is a massive game in the context of the Celtics season and playoff standings so look for them to come out firing.<\/p>\n
Stadium Record<\/strong><\/p>\n The 76ers are 8-1 in their last 9 home games. Boston is now 2-4 at this venue in their last 6.<\/p>\n Head to Head Record<\/strong><\/p>\n Philadelphia beat Boston a few days ago, 117-109. But the Celtics are 5-1 in the last 6 meetings.<\/p>\n Best Bet<\/strong><\/p>\n Celtics Win $2.74<\/a><\/p>\n The Brooklyn trio of Irving, Durant and Harden made his first appearance of the season and it was as expected – entertaining! In their Double OT loss to Cavs, Irving scored 37 points in his first game back from a personal break. Durant added 38 points and Harden dished out plenty of assists as usual, finishing with a triple-double. However, the concern was always going to be their defensive efforts and it’s fair to say, it wasn’t pretty against a mediocre team like the Cavs. They conceded 34 points in double OT as Collin Sexton ran riot from beyond the arc.<\/p>\n As mentioned, it was the Collin Sexton show against the Nets last time out. He finished with 42 points and actually managed to score 20 straight points in OT. Sexton was absolutely on fire from 3 as he nailed 5 threes for the game. Former Nets, Prince and Allen also provided good contributions off the bench and Cedi Osman played a massive 50 minutes, resulting in 25 points.<\/p>\n A +10.5 line for the home Cavaliers is worth taking on after their 147-135 win over the Nets a few days ago. They also held a 14 point lead in the 4th quarter of the last meeting and with Brooklyn not playing much defence, the likes of Sexton should give them another chance at victory.<\/p>\n Stadium Record<\/strong><\/p>\n The Cavs have won 6 of their last 9 home games. Brooklyn now holds a 3-11 record in their last 14 at this venue.<\/p>\n Head to Head Record<\/strong><\/p>\n Cleveland beat the Nets 147-135 a few days ago. Since 2017, the head to head is now locked at 5-5.<\/p>\n
\nBrooklyn Nets (9-7) at Cleveland Cavaliers (7-7)<\/h3>\n