Celtics vs. 76ers Prediction, Odds and Best NBA Prop Bets for Thursday, Feb. 20

Can Boston cover as a road favorite for the 13th time this season?

The Boston Celtics are favored on the road against Philadelphia. / Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

A rivalry matchup coming out of the All-Star break?

Sign me up.

The Boston Celtics hit the road on Thursday night to take on the Philadelphia 76ers, who are in the No. 11 spot in the Eastern Conference and are fighting to get into the play-in tournament.

Boston, the No. 2 seed in the East, is favored on the road in this matchup after splitting the first two matchups between these teams this season. Boston lost on Christmas Day, but it picked up an eight-point win at home in their last meeting.

The Sixers are hoping that they can be healthier for the stretch run than they were before the All-Star break, and Joel Embiid is not listed on the injury report for tonight’s contest while Paul George is listed as "available." 

Here’s a full breakdown of the odds, players to watch in the prop market and my prediction on Thursday night. 

Celtics vs. 76ers Odds, Spread and Total

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Spread

• Celtics -8 (-110)
• 76ers +8 (-110)

Moneyline

• Celtics: -340
• 76ers: +270

Total

• 224.5 (Over -112/Under -108)

Celtics vs. 76ers How to Watch

• Date: Thursday, Feb. 20
• Time: 7:00 p.m. EST
• Venue: Wells Fargo Center 
• How to Watch (TV): TNT/truTV/Max
• Celtics record: 39-16
• 76ers record: 20-34

Celtics vs. 76ers Injury Reports

Boston Celtics Injury Report

• JD Davison – out
• Anton Watson – out
• Drew Peterson – out
• Xavier Tillman Sr. – out

Philadelphia 76ers Injury Report

• Justin Edwards – out
• Eric Gordon – out
• Paul George – available
• Kyle Lowry – out
• Jared McCain – out

Celtics vs. 76ers Best NBA Prop Bets 

Boston Celtics Best NBA Prop Bet

• Jaylen Brown OVER 1.5 3-Pointers Made (-140)

It hasn’t been a great season for Jaylen Brown shooting the 3 (32.4 percent), but he’s still averaging 1.9 made 3s per game. 

On Thursday, Brown has a great matchup with a Philly team that is 18th in opponent 3s made per game and 23rd in opponent 3-point percentage. Brown has cleared this prop in both of his games against the Sixers, shooting a combined 5-for-13 from beyond the arc. 

He also made multiple shots from deep in six of his last 10 games before the break, shooting 34.0 percent from deep in those contests. 

Philadelphia 76ers Best NBA Prop Bet

• Paul George UNDER 14.5 Points (-125)

In his lone meeting against the Celtics, George struggled, shooting just 4-for-15 from the field and scoring 12 points in the win on Christmas Day. 

Plus, since returning from a finger injury, George is averaging just 10.2 points per game in his last five games, failing to clear this number in any of those matchups. Against a top-10 defense like Boston, PG has been too inconsistent to back in a points prop. 

Celtics vs. 76ers Prediction and Pick

Overall, Boston has struggled as a favorite this season, but it’s been much better when favored on the road, going .500 against the spread. 

Since the Sixers have kept both of the matchups between these teams within eight points, winning one, I see why bettors may want to flock to the Philly side. But, the Sixers closed the first half on a five-game skid, and they haven’t looked much better even when Embiid and George are on the floor. 

Philly is 8-6-1 against the spread as a home underdog, but it still has an average point differential of -5.1 points per game in those contests. 

Boston has been extremely good on the road this season (22-6), and it closed out the first half on a solid run, winning eight of 10 games while ranking fifth in the league in net rating over its final 15. 

I’ll take the C’s to pick up the win and cover tonight. 

Pick: Celtics -8 (-110 at DraftKings)

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Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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Find Peter Dewey's NBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily plays on  BetStamp here.

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