Boston Celtics vs Philadelphia 76ers Prediction, Preview and Odds - 02/20/2025

Game Time: 7:00 pm ET, Thursday, February 20, 2025

Venue:  Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA 

Where to Watch:  TNT, MAX, truTV

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Celtics -8, 76ers +8; Over/Under:  224.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Celtics -8, 76ers +8; Over/Under:  224.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Celtics -8.5, 76ers +8.5; Over/Under:  224.5 points

Boston Celtics:  39-16 (1st place, Atlantic Division)

Philadelphia 76ers:  20-34 (3rd place, Atlantic Division)

Do not miss out on our expert handicapper analysis! Jim Feist is on a HOT STREAK in the NBA on a 17-5 NBA RUN for +$11,380 PROFIT! Make sure you check out his picks and many more from the expert handicappers featured in the Shop Picks section.

Boston Celtics:  8-2 last 10

Philadelphia 76ers:  3-7 last 10

The Celtics are entering this game with a 39-16 record overall this season and they are 22-6 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game on a 3 game winning streak with wins coming against the New York Knicks, the Miami Heat, and the San Antonio Spurs. Jayson Tatum led the team in points in that game with 32 while Kristaps Porziņģis was next on the team with 29 points. Derrick White led the team in assists in that game with 9 while Jayson Tatum led the team in rebounds with 14. They were 46.2% from the field, 32.7% from 3-point range, and 66.7% from the free throw line with their shots in that game. Their offense is averaging 117.2 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 108.1 PPG against them. The Celtics have an ATS record of 23-31-1 this season and their O/U record is 25-30.

The 76ers are entering this game with a 20-34 record overall this season and they are 10-17 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game on a 5 game losing streak with losses coming against the Miami Heat, the Detroit Pistons, the Milwaukee Bucks, the Toronto Raptors, and the Brooklyn Nets. Kelly Oubre Jr. and Quentin Grimes each led the team in points in that game with 30 while Justin Edwards was next on the team with 13 points. Jared Butler led the team in assists in that game with 9 while Quentin Grimes led the team in rebounds with 9. They were 43.2% from the field, 24.2% from 3-point range, and 81.8% from the free throw line with their shots in that game. Their offense is averaging 109.1 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 112.9 PPG against them. The 76ers have an ATS record of 19-33-2 this season and their O/U record is 28-23-3.

The current betting odds have the Celtics listed as an 8 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Celtics have looked great in their games this season with their 39-16 record overall which has them right near the top of the East with one of the best records in the entire NBA. They aren't leading the East and haven't been for most of the season, but they also have nothing to prove in the regular season as they had the best record last season and are also the defending champions. They have been a better road team though with their 22-6 road record this year. Meanwhile, the 76ers have looked terrible in their games this season with their 20-34 record overall which has them in the bottom half of the East, but that record still has them in the first spot outside of the play-in tournament and in a position to make a run at the playoffs. They have looked really bad on their home court though with their 10-17 home record. Injuries have been the big story for the 76ers this season as they have been missing key players all year, and they are still dealing with those injuries too. They went into the All-Star break losing 5 games in a row and they are 3-7 in their last 10 games too, still missing those key players. The Celtics are not only one of the best teams in the NBA this season, but they have also been hot lately as they went into the break winning 3 games in a row and they are also 8-2 in their last 10 games. The Celtics have been beating up on bad opponents all year and this game will be no different. The best way to place a bet here is on the Celtics to cover the spread in this game. 

Celtics 76ers Prediction:  Our NBA Pick for Thursday, February 20, 2025 (7:00 pm ET start time) is Celtics 124 76ers 99.

Don't miss our champion handicappers free picks and expert basketball picks today.  And if you enjoyed this Boston Celtics Philadelphia 76ers prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our weekly NBA predictions and previews.

Boston Celtics: 7-17 ATS versus teams who average 9 or more steals/game on the season. 18-30 ATS on the road when playing against a team with a losing record. 7-15 ATS on the road vs. poor rebounding teams - outrebounded by opponents by 3+ per game. 23-8 1H OVER after successfully covering the spread in 3 or more consecutive games. 

Philadelphia 76ers: 13-7 ATS after failing to cover the spread in 3 or more consecutive games. 8-0 ATS as a home underdog of 6.5 to 12 points. 6-2 OVER as a home underdog of 6.5 to 12 points. 26-18 OVER after allowing 100 points or less. 7-3 OVER off a road loss against a division rival.

Boston Celtics:  X. Tillman (C) Day To Day - Knee. J. Holiday (PG) Day To Day - Shoulder.

Philadelphia 76ers:  J. Edwards (SF) Day To Day - Ankle. J. Embiid (C) Day To Day - Knee. K. Lowry (PG) Day To Day - hip. E. Gordon (SG) Day To Day - Wrist. J. McCain (SG) Out For Season - Meniscus.

"If it was up to me, I wish we would ban halftime. I can't stand halftime. I just don't understand it. I guess I do from a business standpoint, but I hate it. It's useless.” - Joe Mazzulla on getting rid of halftime. 

"Especially with Q, just how we can use him. He’s got pretty good speed off the screens and some vault up ability and we’re just tweaking some of our stuff to get him involved in some stuff like that. Then, again, I’m leaning on him just to be one of our better perimeter defenders. He’s gonna have a tough assignment every night and we’re just trying to get him up a notch there just in his physicality and his ball pressure and moving his feet and all that stuff." - Nick Nurse on his plans for Quentin Grimes.

PG Derrick White

SG Payton Pritchard

SF Jaylen Brown

PF Jayson Tatum

C Kristaps Porzingis

PG Jared Butler

SG Kelly Oubre Jr.

SF Paul George 

PF Guerschon Yabusele 

C Andre Drummond

PPG: J. Tatum (26.9)

APG: J. Tatum (5.5)

Reb/G: J. Tatum (8.6)

PPG: T. Maxey (27.6)

APG: T. Maxey (6.1)

Reb/G: J. Embiid (8.5)

Coaches:

Boston Celtics: Joe Mazzulla (3rd season)

Philadelphia 76ers: Nick Nurse (2nd season)