Boston Celtics at Philadelphia 76ers
Tuesday, November 10, 2026
8:00 PM ET, Xfinity Mobile Arena
The Boston Celtics are 1.5-point road favorites with the total at 217.5 at most books. My play is Celtics -1.5.
“Let’s check the ball up.” That’s how Jaylen Brown summed up his first real game against the team that traded him in July, and frankly, it’s the right energy for a game this good. The top two teams in the East, a Game 7 grudge from May, and a breakup that’s been covered like a celebrity divorce.
Strip away the drama, though, and there’s a betting question that’s simpler than the storylines: which of these 9-2 and 8-2 starts is more real? I’m with Boston.
The record says Philly. The scoreboard says Boston. The Sixers have the East’s best record and their best start since 2000-01. But they’re outscoring teams by about three points a night, 111.0 to 107.9. Boston is winning by 10.7 a game, the best margin in the conference, and NBC Sports Philadelphia notes the Celtics are third in offensive rating and fourth in defensive rating. Boston is one of only two teams in the top five on both ends. That’s a contender profile. Philly’s looks like a team squeezing wins out of tight games.
Paul George was the return, and he’s been a hit. Boston swapped Brown’s downhill drives for more shooting, and it’s working. George is averaging 20.4 points and dropped 27 with five threes in Sunday’s 117-97 rout in Milwaukee. Jayson Tatum is at 27.1 points and 7.8 assists, running the whole show. The Celtics are making 15.6 threes a game, second in the league, and set an NBA Cup record with 24 against Charlotte on Friday. Derrick White, Payton Pritchard and Sam Hauser all punish a late closeout.
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Revenge is a nice story, but health is a better one. Boston has its full rotation, with only two-way guard Devin Carter out sick. Philadelphia is still without Dominick Barlow and Ariel Hukporti, and Adem Bona’s back has him in doubt. That leaves Joel Embiid with thin backup at center. Both teams played Sunday, so there’s no rest edge either way. And yes, Philly knocked Boston out in Game 7 at TD Garden last May behind 34 points from Embiid. Tatum missed most of that season rehabbing his Achilles. This is a different Celtics team.
Why I could be wrong. Philadelphia’s three-point defense is legit. NBC Sports has the Sixers fourth in opponent three-point percentage, which is exactly the shot Boston lives on. They also crushed Chicago on the glass Sunday with 20 offensive boards and 33 second-chance points. If Embiid owns the paint and Tyrese Maxey (26.9 points per game) gets loose, the Sixers can win this ugly. And Brown, with something to prove, could have one of those nights.
But I’m laying a point and a half with the better team. Boston’s margins say it’s the better team on a neutral floor by a good bit more than the home-court bump, and this number barely asks the Celtics to win.
Projected score: Celtics 112, 76ers 107
The Pick: Celtics -1.5 (-101)
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