Celtics vs 76ers Predictions, Best Bets & Splits (Game 4)

• The Boston Celtics look to take a 3-1 stranglehold in their series with a Game 4 win vs the 76ers
• Philly big man Joel Embiid (appendectomy) has yet to play in the series, and is doubtful Sunday
• Read below for the latest Celtics vs 76ers odds, best bets and my expert prediction

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The Boston Celtics (56-26, 26-15 away) regained home court advantage with a gutsy win in Game 3, and will look to take a stranglehold of their opening round series with the Philadelphia 76ers (45-37, 23-18 home) in a crucial Game 4 matchup.

Philadelphia isn’t getting much of a chance at the books, as they’re pretty healthy home underdogs in the NBA odds.

Tip-off is scheduled tonight at 7pm ET from Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia, with NBC and Peacock carrying the national broadcast.

Read below as I share my Celtics vs 76ers prediction, a few of my favorite best bets and betting splits for Game 4.

Celtics vs 76ers Prediction

• Pick: Under 214.5 (-112 at DraftKings)

The Celtics sure are lucky Jayson Tatum is back and looking like his old self.

Tatum shined in Game 3, scoring 25 points, with seven assists and five boards as the Celtics bounced back from a Game 2 loss to win 108-100.

He also connected on five 3-pointers, which was a monster stat of the game: the Celtics went 20-for-47 from deep, outscoring the Sixers by 24 points in that field, helping offset a 17 turnover game that led to 21 Philly points.

For their part, the 76ers couldn’t get the offense rolling, shooting just 44% from the field and a rough 12-for-35 from 3-point range, a 34% clip.

Unlike Tatum, there is no injection of talent on the horizon for Philly — at least not in Game 4 — as Joel Embiid, who underwent an emergency appendectomy at the end of the regular season, is listed as doubtful Sunday.

While he wouldn’t have been a factor defending the arc, the 76ers were out-rebounded for a third straight game.

The Sixers might also be down wing Kelly Oubre Jr, who is dealing with a groin injury.

Without Embiid, the Sixers are really Tyrese Maxey-centric, and are desperate for someone to help pick up the scoring load. In the one game he had another 20-point scorer (VJ Edgecombe), the Sixtes won Game 2 111-97, the highest output of the series.

The strategy for Nick Nurse’s team then, appears to be to slow it down and slug it out, hoping Maxey and whoever else can outduel Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown in the clutch.

We’ll stick to the slugfest part, as these teams have now gone Under the total in six straight meetings. I do think it goes down to the wire, with more defensive stops than big buckets in store in the final frame.

Celtics vs 76ers Best Bets

Pick 1: Tyrese Maxey OVER 27.5 Points (-114 at DraftKings)

After scoring a series-low 21 in Game 1, Maxey has found his offensive flow, and he finished with a series-high 31 points (though it was on a rough 12-for-31 shooting night).

Volume scoring is going to have to be part of his game, as aside from the rookie Edgecombe, there is no one else that can create shots for himself and others. Maxey is shooting just 39.2% in the series, but he’s got another 30-bomb in him for Game 4.

Pick 2: Jayson Tatum OVER 6.5 Assists (-107 at DraftKings)

On top of his scoring touch — hitting the 25-point plateau twice in this series — Tatum has been doing a little bit of everything as he works his way back into peak form. His assist game and willingness to set up others has been really strong all series.

Tatum picked up seven dimes in Game 3, the third straight game he’s dished out at least seven assists. As his ability to score in isolation keeps getting more potent, the defense is forced to rotate, and he’s making the right passes.

Celtics vs 76ers Odds and Betting Splits

The graphic above shows the best available odds, which are subject to change

The C’s are a distant -290 on the moneyline at DraftKings, while giving 7.0 points on the spread at bet365. Wagering on the Sixers to win outright comes with nice +240 odds at Caesars, while they are getting 7.5 points at DK.

Over bettors should go to bet365, where the total is set at 213.5 points, while Under bettors will prefer DraftKings, where they can get a whole point more, to 214.5.

Looking at the NBA public betting splits, and the spread is dead even, with 50% of the money each on the Celtics and Sixers. The public likes Boston on the moneyline, with 71% of the bets and 61% of the money.

The big discrepancy is on the total, where the public is hammering the Over at 213.5 points, with 90% of the bets and 90% of wall money looking to cash the Over..