Boston Celtics: 3 takeaways from Game 4 vs. 76ers

“He kept the ball away from me and tried to punch me twice”, Embiid said Monday night following Philadelphia’s Game 4 win over Boston. The Sixers scrapped their traditional confetti cannon celebration after it was prematurely shot at the end of regulation in a Game 3 overtime loss.

Philadelphia is only a one-point underdog in Game 5, according to OddsShark. His teammate Ben Simmons also scored 19 in the most recent game to go with 13 rebounds and five assists. The young star finished with a team high 20 points. They actually opened as favorites before the betting line moved, and they had been favored in each of the previous four games. Boston now ranks second in defensive efficiency (102.6) and Philadelphia is third (102.8).

As for Wednesday’s deciding Game 5, it was one for the ages that came down to the final moments of the fourth quarter.

Meanwhile, Boston owns records of 62-31 SU and 56-33-4 ATS.

“It is my first year“.

Philadelphia is 23-23 ATS on the road with 26 overs and 20 unders. Boston is unbeaten at home during these playoffs. The Philadelphia 76ers are averaging 108.4 points on 43.2 percent shooting and allowing 103.9 points on 44.6 percent shooting. But the Celtics have shown that they are closer to being legitimate title contenders, and they should close the series out on their home floor.

Philadelphia ranks eighth in points in the paint per game (47.1) while Boston ranks 29th (40.0). That starts with Game 1 in Boston, where the Celtics are 7-0 in the playoffs. Joel Embiid also missed an opportunity to knot the score with 12.5 seconds left.

The Celtics continued to extend their lead in the third quarter getting up by as many as 12 points. Aside from a Game 1 which saw Embiid put up 31 points, he hasn’t surpassed 22 points, and has shot 8-for-22, 10-for-26 and 6-for-15 in the past three outings.

On yesterday’s episode of ESPN’s “Pardon the Interruption”, Michael Wilbon and Tony Kornheiser discussed the Sixers’ chances of making a historic comeback and whether – as Joel Embiid told Marcus Morris – Philly is Boston’s head. If the Sixers win Wednesday, Game 6 would be Friday in Philadelphia. Despite this series being 3-1, this feels like Boston has some pressure tonight. While he remained aggressive, attacking the basket and finishing with 25 points, he passed up all of his 3-point attempts and opted to attack the closeouts instead.