A pair of Atlantic Division rivals go head-to-head on Tuesday when Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers host the Boston Celtics. The Sixers have been very good at home, boasting a 23-6 record, while the Celtics, who sit one game back of Philly, have gone 13-13 on the road. After an uninspired game against the Indiana Pacers last Friday, Embiid bounced back in a big way versus the Los Angeles Lakers. The seven-foot tall center scored 37 points and brought down 14 rebounds in Philadelphia’s, 143-120, rout of the Lakers. Those numbers are almost identical to the 37 points and 13 rebounds he recorded in a 119-107 loss to Toronto last week.
On the season, Embiid has averaged 27.2 points per game and 13.5 rebounds. He has been averaging close to that over the past month, during which Philadelphia has faced some stiff competition. This will be the third time Embiid has faced the Celtics this year. In his first game in Boston, Embiid scored 23 points and snagged 10 rebounds. The second game, which was also held in Boston, Embiid did much better — accumulating 34 points and 16 rebounds.
Embiid didn’t really put up impressive numbers against Boston during last year’s regular season, but he averaged 23 points and 14 rebounds in Philly’s 5 game playoff series win against the Celtics. So, how many points and how many rebounds can we expect out of him on Tuesday?
Considering the Sixers are playing at home where Embiid averages 28.2 points per game and 13.2 rebounds, an estimate of 28 points shouldn’t be too far off. However, he has been turning it on over the past several games, scoring 30 points or more in five of his last nine games including the 37 points he recorded in two of his last three games. With this in mind, a prediction of 29 points seems appropriate.
In the rebounding department, Embiid has reached double digits in his last eight straight and in 10 of his last 11. Over his last 11, Embiid has averaged 14 rebounds which looks like a fairly accurate benchmark for this game. As an aside, Boston has won eight of their last 10 games in Philadelphia going 7-3 ATS in the process.
Prediction: Joel Embiid scores 29 points and records 14 rebounds.
