In one of the most thrilling games of the playoffs, the Philadelphia 76ers were able to survive the late fourth-quarter rally from the Boston Celtics to even the series at 2-2.
This Eastern Conference matchup has now turned into a best-of-three series between these two historic franchises and their rivalry.
For the two wins of this series for Philadelphia, James Harden has basically had to turn superhuman in his efforts to bring up some of the best shooting performances of his playoff career.
Boston has shown vulnerability in close games, even in their first-round matchup against Atlanta, and some of those weaknesses have transferred against Philadelphia.
The late-game execution could clean up for both teams, and really, the game five matchup in Boston is going to make or break this series.
Ahead of the action on Tuesday night, the Boston Celtics are favored in this contest over the Philadelphia 76ers at -7.
A herculean effort from the two biggest superstars
Both Joel Embiid and James Harden were sensational in the game on Sunday, as Embiid dominated for the first three quarters, and Harden was able to take over in the fourth.
Harden has basically been two different players in the wins of this series compared to their losses, and nearly all of Philadelphia’s success is predicated on Harden’s performance.
Other role players have intermittently stepped up throughout the first four games, but the show is all on the backs of Harden and Embiid.
Game five will entirely rest in their hands, and their execution down the stretch was just a little bit better than what Boston had to offer. We’ll see if that can remain true in this matchup.
A near-victory while sleepwalking through their game
For the first few quarters of game four, Boston was unable to put together consistent scoring, yet always hung around within striking distance.
The effort was there for the most part, but in some cases, it led to overthinking and desperate measures, especially on the final play, where they had a chance to win but failed to get a shot off.
Jayson Tatum came out missing his first eight field goal attempts, so expect that to be an emphasis from the jump to get him going early so he doesn’t have to warm up to the game.
Most of their roster has fared well in their assignments, but the team cohesively needs to do more to finish off their opponents.
76ers @ Celtics Betting Prediction
Through the first four games, Boston has shown that they are the more talented team but have rarely had an instance where they have the best player on the floor.
This game will come down almost squarely on James Harden’s shoulders, and his performance will be everything for Philadelphia.
In the first two rounds of the postseason, the Celtics have found a way to bounce back after losses, so this game tilts highly in their favor on their home court.
Take Boston to win at home at -7.
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