The Boston Celtics head to the City of Brotherly Love for a matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers tonight. Both teams have relatively clean bills of health, so this could end up being an Eastern Conference playoff preview. Bettors looking for high-value NBA player props in Saturday’s Celtics-76ers game should head to FanDuel for the best price on this Joel Embiid player prop. Make sure to check out OddsShopper’s tools for other sharp plays.
Best Celtics-76ers NBA Player Prop | Joel Embiid
Joel Embiid Prop O/U 30.5 Points
If Grant Williams is the Celtics’ Batman because of his ability to stop Nikola Jokic, then Al Horford is their supply of kryptonite. The veteran big man has always found a way to limit Philadelphia’s Superman, Joel Embiid — at least as a scorer. Embiid hasn’t cracked the 30-point mark against Horford since before the COVID-19 pandemic and averaged only 20.8 points per game in those contests.
Boston’s defense has more going for it than just Horford. Center Robert Williams III provides rim protection without the usual expense, a lack of switchability. Point guard Marcus Smart, last year’s Defensive Player of the Year, can pester players at every position, especially on the perimeter. The Celtics rank fourth in defensive rating (111) and have allowed the fourth-fewest points per game to centers this year (20.5). They rank third through the last 15 (19.2).
The books have smartly cut Embiid’s total down by a few points for this matchup because of Horford. However, the star center is averaging 33 points per game this year and has cruised to 31-plus points in 27 of his 46 appearances (58.7%). But his sizeable offensive role didn’t help him beat this number in either of his earlier games against the Celtics this season, and he is averaging only 30.1 points per game across nine starts in February.
Horford’s dominant defensive streak may come to an end eventually, but bettors can find plenty of +EV on Embiid’s under tonight — especially with these teams likely to play their starters for a ton of minutes in a playoff preview. Both teams will get Sunday off to recuperate. Bettors can head to FanDuel Sportsbook for the best price on Embiid’s under. Readers who are yet to register at FanDuel can score a no-sweat first bet worth up to $1,000!
Best NBA Celtics-76ers Player Prop: Joel Embiid Under 30.5 Points (-104) at FanDuel
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