Boston Celtics – Philadelphia 76ers: put them away at TD Garden! 
Can the hosts finish this off and buy themselves a few extra days off? The Boston Celtics return home to face the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 5 of the first-round playoff series. The clear favourites have already handled the last two games on the road and now want to put the 76ers out of their misery, with the visitors looking a notch below in quality. Mazzulla’s team has all the tools to get it done.
Boston: a battle machine built for the top 
This has been a huge surge in form since the series began. The Boston Celtics are in superb shape, with 8 wins from their last 10 games. Right now, it is their defensive discipline that gives the Celtics their edge, giving up just 100 points per game on average in the playoffs. Boston manage their leads smartly and bring a level of physical pressure that Philadelphia just cannot handle any more.
On offense, the Celtics are driven by a team effort, with Tatum steadily climbing towards peak form. Whether it is elite shooting from deep or brutal force in the paint, the threat comes from everywhere for Boston. They are not just winning, they are smothering teams, as shown by that memorable stretch of four straight offensive rebounds. Back in front of their own crowd for Game 5, the Celtics will want to finish the job without hanging around. If they keep this defensive intensity, they will be brutal to deal with. It is clear Boston have found the answer to shutting down Nick Nurse’s sets. The confidence inside the Celtics camp is so high they look built for the Finals. And, in truth, wrapping this up tonight would hand them priceless rest for what comes next.
Philadelphia: the 76ers are on the ropes 
This is a team running out of answers. Even with Embiid back, the defense has not tightened up and has actually gone backwards, shipping 128 points in the last meeting. They look unable to compete on the glass, getting beaten 51 to 30, with not a single offensive board in the first half of the previous game.
The shooting has gone missing for Nurse’s men, and the gap in power is becoming impossible to ignore. The visitors probably hit their ceiling when they won Game 2, and now they have realised they cannot live with the pace Boston are setting. Unless something remarkable happens as a team, their run ends tonight in Massachusetts.
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NBA prediction Celtics vs 76ers
Boston Celtics to win with a (-9.5) handicap
The tone of this series has been set by Boston’s physical and tactical edge. The last few games have shown the pattern clearly: the Celtics are ticking along like a well-oiled machine, while Philadelphia crack as soon as the pressure rises. After last weekend’s 32-point blowout, all the momentum is with the hosts.
The recent record backs up that picture. The favourites will not want to drain themselves in a Game 6 and should land the decisive blow in front of their own fans. Against a 76ers side full of doubts and beaten in every key statistical area – shooting, rebounding, defence – backing a big Boston win with a (-9.5) handicap looks the sensible play.
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