Celtics Open As Heavy Game 1, Series Betting Favorites Vs. 76ers

Boston Celtics center Neemias Queta

Celtics Open As Heavy Game 1, Series Betting Favorites Vs. 76ers originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Boston Celtics' first-round playoff matchup is officially set. Following the Philadelphia 76ers' 109-97 victory over the Orlando Magic in the Play-In Tournament, the Celtics will face the 76ers as the two vs. seven seed matchup in the Eastern Conference.

This marks the 23rd time the two rivals have squared off in a postseason series, and Vegas expects it to go like most of the previous ones. Boston enters the series as heavy favorites for both Game 1 at TD Garden and the series as a whole.

According to FanDuel Sportsbook as of Thursday morning, the Celtics are 12.5-point home favorites over Philadelphia for Sunday's series opener in Boston. They're also -750 favorites on the moneyline, which means they have an 88.24 percent implied probability of winning.

As for the series, FanDuel has Boston at -1000 to win the series, which translates to a 90.91 percent implied probability of winning.

There are several reasons for the lopsided odds, with the main one being that the Celtics are a much better basketball team. They won 11 more games than the 76ers during the regular season despite not having their best player, Jayson Tatum, for most of it.

Boston has a superior offensive rating, defensive rating and net rating. Meanwhile, Philadelphia's expected record was just .500 based on point differential.