NBA Playoffs: Mims picks 76ers without Embiid, vs Celtics Game 1 – Jaylen Brown prop bet, spread, over/under
The Philadelphia 76ers and the Boston Celtics meet in the NBA Eastern Conference Semi-Finals. The Celtics are favored in the series with a price of -490. The Sixers price to win the series is +390.The Celtics took care of the Atlanta Hawks in 6 games. The series went slightly longer than anticipated. The Sixers swept the Brooklyn Nets and won the close-out game without Joel Embiid. Embiid is out with a calf strain and is considered doubtful for game one.
The Celtics won the regular season series 3-1 against the Sixers. The Celtics averaged per 121 points game in the series against the Hawks. That is an improvement over their 117.9 regular season average. The Sixers will be without Embiid’s 33.1 points a game and his 10.2 rebounds. The Sixers will be hard pressed to replace those numbers. The Sixers defense will give up more paint points without Embiid’s rim protection.
The Celtics are the defending Eastern Conference Champion. The addition of Malcolm Brogdon has improved them. It is not imperative for Jayson Tatum or Jaylen Brown to have an outstanding game in order for the Cs to win. The Sixers are a good team without Embiid but will be at a distinct disadvantage if he does not play in at least half of the games in this series.
Prop Bets: Jaylen Brown over 24.5 points. The price is -127. Brown is a tough matchup and has scored over 25 points in 2 of the 3 regular season games he played against the Sixers. Brown scored over 25 in 4 of the 6 games against the Hawks. This trend continues.
Game One: Celtics are favored by 10.5 points and the total is 213.5. The Sixers are well rested and shoot well from 3-point range. James Harden and Tyrese Maxey must be productive for the Sixers to have a chance. Tobias Harris was the best Sixer in round one against the Nets. I like the Sixers plus the points in game one. Game goes under.
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