The Boston Celtics take on the Philadelphia 76ers tonight in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Philadelphia took Game 1 thanks to a James Harden takeover and big contributions from role players in the absence of Joel Embiid. Boston attacked the paint all night and got good results, but played poorly on defense and went cold on offense late. According to FanDuel Sportsbook, the Celtics are 7.5-point favorites.
Spread: Celtics -7.5
O/U: 217 points
ML: Celtics -335, 76ers +265
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Injury Reports
In a massive twist, Joel Embiid (knee) is on track to return tonight. It didn’t seem likely he’d play in either of the first two games, but after being minted MVP last night, he reportedly told teammates he’d be ready to go. It’s unclear how many minutes he can play and what he’ll look like in his return, but expect him to start and have a massive impact on the Celtics’ game plan.
Celtics Projected Starters
PG: Marcus Smart
SG: Derrick White
SF: Jaylen Brown
PF: Jayson Tatum
C: Al Horford
76ers Projected Starters
PG: James Harden
SG: Tyrese Maxey
SF: Tobias Harris
PF: PJ Tucker
C: Joel Embiid
Boston Celtics Overview
The Celtics shot nearly 59% from the field, hit at an above league-average clip from three, and lost. That comes back to defense, particularly on James Harden. The first-half strategy of doubling Harden only allowed Philadelphia’s other players to get into rhythm. By the time Boston switched to single coverage in the second half, Harden was cooking, dropping 15 points in the final frame. They need to find a better strategy, particularly in the pick and roll game, where Harden has been so effective for years. Even on a bad knee, Joel Embiid will put up points, but the Celtics can’t afford to have the other 76ers like Harden go off for big nights again.
The defense is what fans and media have keyed on the most following Game 1, but Joe Mazzulla highlighted problems with the offense. The Celtics shot well, but they turned the ball over 16 times — something he attributed to both his play calling and spacing issues. He also felt they needed to take more threes. The Celtics dominated the paint in Game 1, scoring 66 of their 115 points there, but that was due to the Sixers having no rim protection. With Embiid back, expect the Celtics to kick the ball out and shoot way more than 26 threes tonight.
Philadelphia 76ers Overview
The Sixers played a near perfect game. Down Joel Embiid, they hit the Celtics with a barrage of threes and a signature Harden game harkening back to his Houston Rockets days. The biggest question for tonight: can the role players replicate it? They won’t need 45 points from Harden or five threes from De’Anthony Melton again, but it’s unclear what Embiid will look like. If he’s not at 100%, they’ll still need big offensive performances from their other starters. This is where Tobias Harris and Tyrese Maxey, who each had a good Game 1, need to step up again. Embiid makes life easier for everyone in the Philly starting lineup, but he may not be in MVP form depending on how bad his knee is.
Something else that will be interesting to watch will be Embiid’s rim protection. The 76ers got punished inside on backdoor cuts and Jayson Tatum drives, and they clearly didn’t have an answer without their starting center out there. Though Mazzulla hinted the Celtics will be taking a lot more threes tonight, they will almost certainly test Embiid on the defensive end to see how his knee really is. It’ll be up to him to establish a strong presence early to deter Boston from dominating in the paint once again.
Prediction
The Celtics are still favorites, but this one could really go either way. If Embiid is playing like himself and Philadelphia’s role players can ease the offensive burden, the Sixers may be in great shape to steal two road games. I think no matter what, this one will be close and both teams will tighten up their defense, but I’m leaning toward the Sixers to take a big, unexpected 2-0 lead.
Philadelphia 76ers 112, Boston Celtics 110
