The Boston Celtics aims to get the second game of their best-of-seven conference semi-finals series against the Philadelphia 76ers. Their Game 1 ended with a win for the 76ers, in a 119-115 win for them. 76ers won in this game even without Joel Embiid, who leads the 76ers all throughout the series. They now have the chance to extend their lead by winning in this game, which will be huge for them. However, the Celtics will not make it easy for them, as they are aiming to tie this series. The Celtics can no longer afford to extend 76ers‘ lead, as it will be dangerous for them. This meeting will be on May 4, 2023, at 8:00 AM (GMT+8), with the Celtics playing at home.
Boston Celtics
The Celtics were not able to grab the opportunity of their homecourt advantage during the Game 1 of their series. They were stunned by the 76ers on that match, making them suffer a 119-115 defeat. That loss is the second straight loss of the Celtics at home in the playoffs, which is just unfortunate. In fact, the Celtics were able to lead in the fourth, 115-112, but were outscored in the final minute. Celtics allowed the 76ers to have a 7-0 run in the final minute, which cost them to lose. Tatum, who led the Celtics with 39 points, believes that their opponent hit big shots, and were in a rhythm the whole match. A silver-lining in this match is the fact that the Celtics were able to shot over 60% from the floor. However, they need to make a tight defense if they want to advance to the next round.
Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown leads the Celtics with 28.9 and 26.1 points per game. However, Marcus Smart is listed as questionable in this match due to a chest contusion. Danilo Gallinari on the other hand remains to be unavailable in this match.
Philadelphia 76ers
The 76ers on the other hand is coming into this game surprised everyone with a win in the Game 1, as they will be without Joel Embiid. Due to this, expectations have been raised for the 76ers. That Game 1 win gives the 76ers confidence since they were able to take the home court advantage from the Celtics. They were led by James Harden, who had a play-off high, 45 points. According to Harden, although they are at the disadvantage, they came in Game 1 to win. He also expressed that they are ready to play in Game 2, whether Embiid will return or not. Including their Game 1 win, they are now 5-0 in the playoffs, and are expecting to extend that streak in Game 2.
With the absence of Embiid, James Harden and Tyrese Maxey leads the 76ers with 22.8 and 22.6 points per game. Embiid is still listed as questionable for this game, due to an issue in his knee.
Prediction:
Boston Celtics
Total Under: 113.5
Odds: 0.81
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