The Philadelphia 76ers will be without star Joel Embiid (finger) on Thursday night as they host the Boston Celtics at Wells Fargo Center. The Celtics enter the matchup largely healthy, though Kemba Walker might see his minutes limited in the second leg of a back-to-back. Walker returned Wednesday night in the Celtics’ 129-114 loss to the Spurs after missing the previous three games due to the flu.
Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. ET. The 76ers open as 2.5-point favorites, while the over/under for total points is set at 215.5.
Since their impressive Christmas Day win over the Bucks, the 76ers are just 1-4 against the spread. They were mired in a four-game losing streak that dropped them in the Eastern Conference standings, but snapped the skid Monday night with a 120-113 win over the Thunder. They lost perhaps their most important player in the process, however, as Embiid gruesomely dislocated his left ring finger in the first quarter.
In the past month, the Celtics are 4-1 against the spread in road games. Boston enters Thursday’s matchup on a two-game losing streak after winning eight of its previous nine games.
Philadelphia, despite playing without Embiid, should get a major boost from playing at home: The 76ers boast a 17-2 record at Wells Fargo Center this season (just 7-12 on the road). On top of that, they own a +9.7 point differential at home compared to a -2.0 point differential on the road.
Embiid’s absence should not be understated, however. In the 76ers’ last three wins over the Celtics (dating back to last season), Embiid averaged 30 points and 16 rebounds, recording a plus-minus of +49. When Embiid was on the bench in those games, the Celtics outscored the 76ers by 26 points.
The 76ers have won both matchups this season, winning by an average margin of 10 points. Losing Embiid will likely force Ben Simmons to become more of the focal point on offense, and his recent form is encouraging – he’s averaging 18.4 points, 10.8 rebounds and eight assists in his last five contests. Coupled with Walker’s possible limited minutes, the 76ers should do enough to pull this one out.
Prediction: 76ers (-2.5), under 215.5.
