Philadelphia 76ers vs. Boston Celtics

Total: 208.5

Boston -4.5

Gameplay Predictions

Philadelphia

  • Philly is reportedly starting Markelle Fultz at shooting guard in the first half, and J.J. Redick at SG in the second half.

  • Mike Muscala has been ruled out along with Wilson Chandler for Philly.

  • Philadelphia played at the fourth highest pace last season (102.2).

  • Philly lost in five games to Boston in the playoffs last season.

  • They averaged the seventh most points per game while allowing the 11th fewest per night.

  • Joel Embiid led Philly in points (22.9), rebounds (11.0) and blocks (1.8) on a per game basis in 2017-’18.

  • Ben Simmons led the team in assists (8.2) and steals (1.7) and won Rookie of the Year honors.

  • Joel Embiid led the team in usage rate in 2017, while J.J. Redick ranked second.

  • When active, Markelle Fultz notched a 23.1-percent usage rate last season.

  • J.J. Redick shot over seven three-pointers per game in 2017. That is likely to take a hit if coming off the bench.

Boston

  • Gordon Hayward is projected to play 25 minutes, but not exceed that over the first couple of weeks of the year.

  • Boston ranked 23rd in pace of play last year, but ranked first in defensive efficiency.

  • Kyrie Irving led Boston in points (24.4) and assists (5.1) last season.

  • Al Horford led the team in rebounds (7.4) and blocks (1.1) last season.

  • Marcus Smart was the team leader in steals per game at 1.3.

  • After Kyrie Irving , Marcus Morris led the Celtics in usage rate at 23.9-percent.

  • Boston went 3-1 against Philadelphia in the regular season last year, then went on to win their playoff series in five games.

  • In the nine games he played against the 76ers last season, Jayson Tatum averaged 19.4 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.2 assists on 50.4-percent shooting.

Pregame Props

1. The last made shot (FG or FT) of the 1st Quarter is a 2 pointer (we'll leave this open until the 1:00 mark) YES 1.7 / NO 4.2

YES. Knowing that both of these types are much more efficient from inside of the arc than outside of it, I’d bank on it being a two-pointer.

2. The first made shot of the 1st Quarter is a 3 pointer YES 3.9 / NO 1.6

NO. I’d actually be much more confident with this question if J.J. Redick happened to be the starting shooting guard for the 76ers, but because he’s not, there aren’t a whole lot of guys who can stretch the floor. Definitely safer to assume a two-pointer here.

3. BOS records more assists than PHI in the 1st Quarter YES 2.3 / NO 3.4

NO. Only the Warriors averaged more assists per game than the 76ers last season, while Boston ranked 20th in that category. Hard to go against the numbers, especially when both teams rosters are similar to the one’s from a season ago.

4. K. Irving (BOS) makes 3 or more 3 pointers in the 1st Quarter YES 2.9 / NO 2.1

NO. With how much depth the Celtics have on their roster, it would be surprising if any one player accomplished this feat, not just Irving.

5. At least 2 fouls are committed by the 10:00 mark in the 1st Quarter YES 3.4 / NO 2

YES. It’s easier to say no, because two fouls in two minutes is hard to do, but we’ve seen stranger things and we’ve been relatively safe with our other calls. We need to take a shot somewhere.

6. PHI wins the opening tipoff YES 2.4 / NO 2.6

YES. Embiid has a size advantage over Horford and is the more athletic of the two as well. He shouldn’t have a problem here as long as Horford is starting and not Aron Baynes .