NBA playoff preview and tips: Philadelphia 76ers at Boston Celtics - Game Five
- George Dempsey
- 9 May 2023
Boston Celtics will host game five of the NBA Eastern Conference semifinal against Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday, with the series tied 2-2.
Boston had a chance to pull away from Philadelphia late in the fourth quarter, but after the game went to overtime, James Harden took over to level the series 2-2.
Standout Trends
Celtics are 34-16ATS in their last 50 games against a team winning 60% of games.
Celtics are 7-0ATS in their last seven games following an ATS loss.
76ers are 5-13ATS in their last 18 Tuesday games.
76ers are 2-5ATS in their last seven playoff games as an underdog.
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76ers at Celtics - Game Five verdict
There was no shortage of drama in game four. With the 76ers winning it late in overtime, this NBA playoff series is now tied at 2-2 and the action will return to TD Garden, where SX.Bet make the Boston Celtics a -7.5 favourite on their opening line.
The 76ers led for most of the game on home court, days after Boston had won there to reclaim home court advantage.
The Celtics made their move in the fourth quarter and had their chances to pull away after trailing most of the game. Philly hung in there and the game went to overtime.
Joel Embiid registered 13 rebounds and scored 34 points, but James Harden was the star of the show, scoring 42 points including the game-winning shot deep in overtime.
There was still time for the Celtics to steal one. With seconds left, Jayson Tatum drove to the basket and fed Marcus Smart for a wide-open three. Smart made the three but released the ball a millisecond too late.
It looked like Jayson Tatum could have taken the opportunity from close range, but he declines. Coach Joe Mazzulla said after the game he made a mistake by not calling a timeout before that final play.
Looking ahead to game five, the Celtics need to do what they did in their two victories. They found ways to slow James Harden done and on the other end, they shot a high volume of threes.
We expect both Jayson Tatum, who barely did a thing right on offence in the first half, and Jaylen Brown, who had foul trouble, to bounce back and do better on Tuesday.
Both of the Celtics' wins so far have come by double digits. The 76ers have had to be picture-perfect and they're still only winning by razor-thin margins. We think Boston Celtics -6.5 is the best bet for game five.
