No one saw this Game 7 coming.
After the Celtics led the 76ers, 3-1, in a best-of-seven, they dropped two straight to Philadelphia and looked terrible in every facet of Games 5 and 6.
The 76ers are still 7.5-point underdogs across the sports betting market going into Game 7 after it opened as high as 8.5 before some money came in and moved the line.
It’s a lot of respect to give a Boston team that has shot 41.1 percent from the field spanning its last two games and a terrible 28.6 percent from beyond the arc.
Those two figures are the bottom four in the NBA among playoff teams, none of which are top seeds.
The underlying factor here is whether Jayson Tatum is injured; there were mixed reports about whether he strained his calf during Game 6.
If Tatum is injured, the Celtics are in disaster territory since they can’t allow their best player to tear his other Achilles during the playoffs after last year’s crushing injury.
The last thing Boston wants is a Klay Thompson situation in which Tatum suffers multiple leg ligament injuries within a year.
There is certainly a chance that the Celtics will pull Tatum from this game, and I’d suspect the line to move within 2.5 points.
Philadelphia has played strong basketball during the last few games, and the return of Joel Embiid appears to have changed its fortunes in this series, while the Celtics look like a shell of themselves.
It will be harder on the road, but the 76ers have legitimately given Boston fits in both units on offense and defense.
Playing the narrative that Tatum isn’t healthy, I’m targeting Jaylen Brown’s player prop point total, as he will need to pick up the slack and step back into the alpha role for Boston.
Betting on the NBA?
He’s done it all year, averaging 28.7 points per game during the regular season.
Target Over 24.5 points (-118, Betr, -135 elsewhere) for Brown, and Over 34.5 is +680 on FanDuel for someone looking for more risk with a potentially bigger reward.
Brown scored 35 points in Game 2, and Tatum’s unknown health status should help him get a higher usage rate.
I’m also all in on the 76ers to at least cover the spread of 7.5 and think they can win outright.
THE PLAYS: Jaylen Brown Over 24.5 points (-118, Betr) | 76ers +7.5 (-110, BetMGM) | 76ers moneyline (+250, DraftKings)
Why Trust New York Post Betting
Erich Richter is a brazilian jiu-jitsu blue belt but he has a black belt in MMA betting. During the football season he’s showcased massive profits at The Post in the player prop market the last two seasons. While constantly betting long shots, his return on investment is 30.15 percent since 2022.
