Jaylen Brown faces Boston for the first time in a game that counts on Tuesday. The fun part is that Philadelphia doesn’t need him to carry the offense. Brown scored 29 in Sunday’s 127–121 win at Chicago, and Tyrese Maxey and LeBron James combined for another 49. Boston has held both opponents on this road trip below 100. If the Celtics make Brown give up the ball, the question is how easily the Sixers can turn the next touch into a good shot.
Philadelphia has options. Boston can win a stretch on both ends.
Brown took 22 shots in Chicago, and the Sixers still got 18 points and 10 rebounds from Joel Embiid and 13 points from VJ Edgecombe. Maxey and James can keep an attack moving if Boston takes away Brown’s first look, and Embiid gives Philadelphia another place to go when the game slows down.
Boston showed how quickly it can swing a game in Sunday’s 117–97 win at Milwaukee. The Celtics fell behind 20–6. Jayson Tatum scored the last 10 points of the first quarter, then Paul George scored the first eight of the second. George’s first three gave Boston the lead. Milwaukee’s scoring drought mattered as much as the burst itself.
DraftKings had Boston favored by 1.5 points. Philadelphia’s depth helped it score 127 in Chicago, but the Bulls still scored 121. The Sixers can find points even if Brown has to share the work. At a spread this tight, how well they defend the next trip could matter just as much.
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Why the number matters at 216.5
DraftKings listed a total of 216.5. In the teams’ last 10 games apiece, eight Boston games and seven Philadelphia games went under their own posted totals. The Sixers’ 112–106 win at Detroit shows why the number matters. Those 218 points stayed under that night’s 219.5 but would clear Tuesday’s line. Boston and Milwaukee finished at 214 even with the Celtics scoring 117.
Watch what happens when Boston makes Brown move the ball. If Maxey or James can attack before the defense resets, or Embiid gets a clean touch inside, the Sixers can keep the scoring going without needing a big night from Brown. If those second options have to start over late in the shot clock, Boston can keep the combined score down even when its own offense finds a rhythm.
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