The Boston Celtics hold a 2-1 advantage over the Philadelphia 76ers going into Sunday's Game 4 in the City of Brotherly Love. Boston took the series lead with a Game 3 win that featured a 27-point performance from Jayson Tatum. Six other Celtics players also scored in double figures, showing the depth of this Boston roster. Philly needs a win at home on Sunday to even up the series before it heads back to Boston for Game 5.
On a night where Joel Embiid was honored for winning the league's MVP award, he showed why he won it with a 30-point, 13-rebound double-double, however, he didn't get much help out of his supporting cast on Friday night. The Sixers will need to find offense outside of Embiid for Game 4, otherwise, they could head back to Boston facing elimination.
Here's everything you need to know ahead of the Celtics-Sixers Game 4 matchup.
76ers vs. Celtics Game 4
- Date: Sunday, May 7 | Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
- Location: Wells Fargo Center -- Philadelphia
- TV channel: ESPN | Stream: fubo (try for free)
- Live updates: Follow along
- Odds: Celtics -2.5; O/U 214.5 (via Caesars Sportsbook)
Storylines
Celtics: After that shocking Game 1 loss against the Sixers to open this series, the Celtics appear far more focused in these last two games. The stars in Tatum and Jaylen Brown are doing what they're expected to do, and role players are stepping up. Boston effectively shut down everyone on the Sixers' roster and forced Joel Embiid to beat them, and it worked. Boston can't expect that every night, but we can expect a similar formula for Game 4.
Sixers: I expect a bounce-back game from James Harden after going 3-of-14 from the field, shooting 2-of-7 from deep for just 16 points. Harden's shot wasn't falling, but he also appeared hesitant when he got into the paint, not a great sign for one of your two superstars on this team. In order for the Sixers to even up this series, they'll need Harden to work up some of that Game 1 magic and shoulder some of the offensive load with Embiid.
Prediction
I think it'll be a close one, but I expect the Sixers to bounce back after poor shooting nights from Harden and Tobias Harris. If Harden performed a bit better, there's a chance that Philly would've won Game 3, so I'll pick them to even up the series. The pick: Sixers +2.5
