NBA Playoffs: Boston Celtics vs. Philadelphia 76ers Game 6 – Odds, Prediction, & Start Time

Last Friday, the Boston Celtics had grabbed home-court advantage back by winning at Philadelphia and taking a 2-1 series lead in their Eastern Conference semifinal series. After that victory, the Celtics were heavy favorites to win the NBA championship in futures odds, sitting at +150 to do so at FanDuel.

Things can change quickly in the world of sports.

After Game 5, it’s the Philadelphia 76ers who have won two-straight games in this series and can eliminate the defending Eastern Conference champions at home on Thursday. In the process, the 76ers are now the favorites to represent the East in the NBA Finals in current futures odds. With Boston’s back to the wall for Celtics vs. 76ers Game 6 odds, what have the oddsmakers have set for this huge contest?

The Celtics’ inability to win home games in the playoffs is hurting them once again. In last year’s NBA Finals, Boston lost Games 4 and 6 to Golden State at the TD Garden. That forced the Celtics to watch Steph Curry and his teammates celebrate winning the championship on their floor. Boston then could not close out Atlanta in Game 5 in the first round this year. In this series, they lost Game 1 to a Philly team without Joel Embiid. After the 76ers escaped Game 4 in overtime to tie the series, they dominated the Celtics in Game 5 on Tuesday. The Celtics lost 115-103 as eight-point favorites. The 103 points scored was Boston’s lowest offensive output of the playoffs.

Boston had chances to win Games 1 and 4, but late James Harden 3-point shots bailed the Sixers out. That wasn’t the case in Game 5. The Celtics need to find some answers and fast. Otherwise, their season will be over.

After Joel Embiid accepted the NBA MVP trophy before Game 3, he played well in that game but started to hear the whispers that it was the same old Sixers in the playoffs. Philly hasn’t advanced past the second round in the Embiid era–in fact, they haven’t played in a conference final since 2001. Embiid scored 33 points and had seven rebounds and four blocked shots in the Game 5 victory, justifying his MVP award–for now, anyway. (Fans in Philly can be fickle!) Embiid is even contributing on the defensive front.

It was James Harden who had the worst two-game shooting stretch of his career in Games 2 and 3. He hit the game-winning shot in overtime in Game 4 and was steady on Tuesday night, scoring 17 points and dishing 10 assists. Tyrese Maxey, however, was the big secret weapon in Game 5, scoring 30 points.

Boston doesn’t have to look too far back to gain inspiration for the task at hand. Last year, the Celtics lost Game 5 of this round to Milwaukee but won Game 6 on the road and Game 7 at home to advance. The franchise has come back from a 3-2 deficit to win a series six times, which is the most in NBA history.

For the 76ers, the pressure is on to advance to that elusive conference finals. Losing Game 6 at home would hand Boston the momentum. Also expect head coach Doc Rivers not to be looking too far ahead either. His LA Clippers blew a 3-1 lead in this round to Denver in 2020. We believe the Sixers will have the proper mindset coming into this one and close out the series. The Celtics vs. 76ers odds for this game may surprise you. The fact that they’re getting points is a bonus.

Prediction: 76ers, 108-103