Sixers Were 0-4 ATS vs Boston Last Season: 5-Point Home Favorites Against Celtics in Season Opener
- The Philadelphia 76ers were 0-4 ATS versus the Boston Celtics last season.
- Al Horford will face his former team on Tuesday.
- The Celtics were just 21-20 in road games last season.
The Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers will get their season started on Wednesday the two teams square off in the City of Brotherly Love.
The 76ers were 0-4 ATS against the Celtics last season as they were a thorn in their side. Philly has opened as 5-point favorites in the Celtics vs 76ers odds.
Can Philadelphia get their 2019-20 campaign off on the right foot and beat the Celtics?
Boston Celtics at Philadelphia 76ers Odds
| Team | Spread | Moneyline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boston Celtics | +5 (-108) | +185 | 211 (-115) |
| Philadelphia 76ers | -5 (-112) | -215 | 211 (-105) |
Odds taken October 23rd
76ers Debut Their New Roster
The 76ers were one shot away from making the Eastern Conference finals last season, but because of cap restraints, they weren’t able to bring back the same cast. They retooled marvellously – at least, on paper – as they swapped out Jimmy Butler and JJ Redick for Al Horford and Josh Richardson.
The Sixers probably have the biggest starting lineup in the NBA in terms of size, and we know they’ll be physical and play strong defense.
However, where are the threes going to come from? The 76ers were 27th in the NBA in terms of threes made last season with just 10.3 and Redick averaged 3.2 of those. Who steps up?
Have Simmons, Embiid Improved?
The Sixers made some key changes but their 2019-20 campaign will come down to Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons.
We’ve heard rumors that Simmons has improved his jump shot and he even made a three-pointer in a preseason game. He’s never hit one in the regular season, though. If he has a jump shot, this team will be hard to stop.
As for Embiid, the key for him is durability. He wore down in the playoffs and simply wasn’t himself.
He’s trimmed down, losing a reported 25 pounds, so we’ll get our first look at him in the regular season. The 76ers are hoping he can play like an MVP all the way through the playoffs this time around.
Walker Makes His Debut With Celtics
While the Celtics mostly flew under the radar this offseason, they’re a team that made some notable changes.
Horford and Kyrie Irving were allowed to walk in free agency and the team used that money to bring in Kemba Walker. Boston is banking on addition by subtraction as Irving wasn’t a good fit with this team’s chemistry.
The Celtics will need guys like Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum and Gordon Hayward to approach All-Star status if they’re to be a contender in the Eastern Conference. That’s possible – especially if Walker elevates the play of this roster rather than sags as Irving did – but we have to see how this all plays out.
Remember, the Celtics also lost Marcus Morris and Terry Rozier in the offseason, so their roster has undergone quite the overhaul as well.
What’s the Best Bet?
The early sharp money on this game has been on Boston as the Celtics opened at +6 and are down to +5. I think that’s the right move as both teams have undergone a lot of change and Tuesday’s game will be a bit of an experiment of sorts with their new lineups. That being the case, I’ll take the points.
Pick: Celtics +5 (-108)
For over 15 years, Dave has been working in mainstream media and sports betting. He hosted a station on Sirius Satellite Radio for four years, and is currently a senior writer for AskMen. He's interviewed hundreds of hundreds of high-profile sports stars like Shaquille O'Neal and Floyd Mayweather.
