The Boston Celtics (2-3) and Philadelphia 76ers (4-0) will meet in the group stage of the NBA Cup on Friday night. Tipoff is set for 7:00 p.m. ET from Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The game will broadcast live on Amazon Prime Video.
The Sixers are 1-point favorites over the Celtics on the spread (76ers -1), with the over/under set at 233.5 total points. Philadelphia is a -115 favorite to win outright on the moneyline, while Boston is -105 to pull off the upset.
Let's get into my Celtics vs. 76ers predictions and NBA picks for Friday, October 31.
Celtics vs 76ers Prediction, Picks
- Celtics vs 76ers pick: Tyrese Maxey Over 29.5 Points (-120)
My 76ers vs. Celtics best bet is on Tyrese Maxey over 29.5 points, with the best price currently available at bet365. But as always, make sure to find the best odds by checking our live NBA odds page.
Celtics vs 76ers Odds for Friday, October 31
| Celtics Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+1 -110 | 233.5 -110o / -110u | -105 |
| 76ers Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-1 -110 | 233.5 -110o / -110u | -115 |
Boston Celtics vs Philadelphia 76ers NBA Cup Preview
This game just happened in the opener for each team, remember that?
Joel Embiid looked awful, Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe combined for 74 points, and the Celtics collapsed down the stretch because their defense was awful?
The Sixers are, amazingly, 4-0 to start the season, beating Boston, Charlotte, Orlando and Washington.
They're one of four teams in the entire NBA to be undefeated, and would enter November with a spotless record if they win against Boston again.
The Celtics opened the season losing three straight to Philly, New York and Detroit, respectively, before righting the ship with recent wins against the lowly Pelicans and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Admittedly, Philly does feel like a "they can't keep getting away with this team" but they have covered in all but one of their wins. Boston is 2-3 ATS.
Injury wise, Boston will be, as of now, only without Jayson Tatum.
Philly is still without Paul George and Jared McCain, and Dominick Barlow will also sit. Embiid is not listed on the injury report.
Immediately, I eyeballed Tyrese Maxey over 29.5 points, which was my three-star bet on Buckets last night with Matt Moore and Michael Fiddle.
Maxey is the only 76er who is Embiid-proof.
If Embiid plays 25 minutes and has a high usage in that time, is more ball-dominant and has offense run through him, Maxey will still get his.
He's scored no fewer than 28 points in any game this season.
He's averaging 25 field goal attempts per game with 11.5 free throw attempts and a free throw rate of 45.5.
In fact, his overs are way over at 39, 40 and 43.
It might be difficult to put up 40 on the same team twice in just over a week, but I think this is another good Maxey spot.
He's getting tons of volume, he's being efficient, and an Embiid game shouldn't kill his value from a shot taking perspective, especially since this is slowly becoming his team and you're still missing Paul George and McCain.
Celtics vs 76ers Best Bet, Betting Prediction
- Tyrese Maxey Over 29.5 Points (-120)
76ers vs Celtics Betting Trends
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