NBA Betting Preview: Philadelphia 76ers vs. Boston Celtics

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The NBA’s 77th season is slated to begin on October 18th and the Boston Celtics will host the Philadelphia 76ers in the first game of the season at the TD Garden Arena. The Philadelphia 76ers will have a tall task of taking on the reigning Eastern Conference champions, but with an improved roster and the potential MVP on their roster, they look to open the season strong with a win. Meanwhile, after a busy offseason, the Boston Celtics are hoping to start the new season off strong and compete for another shot at an NBA Championship. Let’s dive into the matchup and take a look at the best bets for this contest.

76ers vs Celtics Season 2022 Game Analysis

76ers Betting Preview: 76ers Improved Roster Enough to Compete for an NBA Championship?

In the 2022–23 season, it is anticipated that the Philadelphia 76ers will contend for the NBA championship. PJ Tucker, De’Anthony Melton, Danuel House Jr., and Montrezl Harrell were recruited by President Daryl Morey to assist and strengthen the depth surrounding the star core of Joel Embid, James Harden, and Tyrese Maxey.

The time is now for the 76ers roster to take over the East, as Joel Embiid is still in his prime and a perennial MVP contender. Harden may not be the same scorer he once was, but coming into the season, he has lost weight and appeared to be more explosive during the preseason. Additionally, Maxey made a huge leap in his second year, breaking out for 17.5 points per game.

It feels a little bit as though the Sixers are being underappreciated in terms of title odds and being the club that represents the East in the Finals. They actually have 12 players on the roster who can help compete for a championship, and Harden will start the season playing alongside Embiid, who played a career-high 68 games last year. This club should dominate the regular season.

Celtics Betting Preview: Boston Looks to Put Tumultuous Offseason Behind Them

The offseason was difficult to say the least, for Boston. Despite showing so much promise by reaching the NBA Finals a year ago, the Celtics have had to deal with losing free agent signing Danilo Gallinari for the season to an ACL injury and the suspension of coach Ime Udoka, who was essential to their team turnaround in January of last season.

This team is all about the perimeter shooting of the Boston Celtics star players Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Boston has one of the best outside scoring combinations in the NBA with the talents of Tatum and Brown, as well as the two-way performance of Marcus Smart and Malcolm Brogdon.

Given their lack of depth in the paint, the Celtics couldn’t have asked for a tougher opening-night opponent, as Robert Williams’ absence at the beginning of the season leaves them lacking in size up front.

Despite this, the addition of Malcolm Brogdon has joined the team this summer, they may have the best collection of wings in the league. Although it might take them some time to get going, the Celtics should still be a good team this season, and I expect them to make a run at an NBA championship once again.

Betting Odds and Lines

Head to Mybookie where you can bet on this contest as the Boston Celtics are -3 (-110) spread and -165 money line home favorites. Meanwhile, for the 76ers they will be +3 (-110) spread and +140 road underdogs despite their improved roster. The Over/Under total for this game has hovered around 214 points.

Free Betting Pick

The Celtics are slight home favorites because it’s the opening game of the year, which makes sense. Last season, these teams tied for first place in the Atlantic, but Boston won the division on tiebreakers. The home team was favored by three points or less in each of Boston’s and Philadelphia’s four regular-season meetings, so this line is consistent with that.

Taking the points to begin the year is a good bargain for Philadelphia as the Boston Celtics dealt with a ton of drama over the course of the offseason. Boston will struggle to contain a healthy and prepared Sixers squad and their inside-outside danger in Embiid and Harden despite their abundance of talent.

Despite home-court advantage, don’t expect the Celtics to be able to contain Joel Embiid of the Sixers without their top inside presence available. For that reason, take the Sixers on the road to cover.