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Resetting Sixers-Celtics series odds after four games

The Sixers were massive underdogs to win the series heading into Sunday. The Celtics remain pretty big favorites Monday.

James Harden's 42 points led the Sixers to a victory over the Celtics in Game 4 on Sunday.
James Harden's 42 points led the Sixers to a victory over the Celtics in Game 4 on Sunday.Read moreElizabeth Robertson / Staff Photographer

No team had worse odds to advance out of the second round of the NBA playoffs Sunday morning than the Sixers, who were one of four teams trailing 2-1 in a conference semifinal series.

It wasn’t by a small margin either. FanDuel priced the Sixers at +570 Sunday before the Sixers and Celtics tipped off in the afternoon. Of the four teams trailing 2-1, the Warriors (+166) had the best odds to advance, followed by the Knicks (+194) and Suns (+245).

Then came James Harden’s corner three-pointer that evened the series, 2-2, and with it — as expected — came a sizable drop in the Sixers’ series odds.

Odds as of 11 a.m. Monday. Subject to change.

Sixers vs. Celtics series odds (FanDuel)

  1. Celtics -310

  2. Sixers +250

No surprise here. The Sixers are still pretty big underdogs to reach the Eastern Conference final. In fact, they still have the longest series odds of any team in the second round.

After Phoenix evened its series with Denver late Sunday, the Suns moved to +136 to advance past the Nuggets. As of Monday morning, the Sixers were the only team at FanDuel with longer than 2/1 series odds.

The Knicks, who trail 2-1 in their series with Miami heading into Game 4 Monday night, were priced right at +200 over at BetMGM.

» READ MORE: The Sixers were out of gas, out of luck, out of time. Now, they’re alive.

Sixers vs. Celtics Game 5 odds (BetMGM)

  1. Point spread: Celtics -7.5

  2. Moneyline: Celtics -300; Sixers +230

  3. Total: 214.5 points

This series has followed what has become a pretty remarkable NBA trend. Entering this season, teams that won a playoff game were 171-13 against the spread. Simply put: when favorites win, they cover the spread; when underdogs win, they win outright.

Boston has been favored by single digits in each game. Its two wins have been by 34 and 12 points.

This isn’t a betting advice column, but the recent math says that if you think the Sixers are going to cover 7.5 points, they’re probably also going to end up winning the game.

How many more games will it go?

Celtics in six remains the most likely result, according to BetMGM odds.

Here’s how the sportsbook has priced the correct result of the series:

  1. Celtics 4-2: +130

  2. Celtics 4-3: +165

  3. Sixers 4-2: +600

  4. Sixers 4-3: +500

Of course, two of the next three games will be in Boston, starting with Game 5 Tuesday night, meaning the Sixers will need to win at least once on the road.

Harden showed that was possible in Game 1. And Sunday, he became a big reason the Celtics didn’t run away with the series.

» READ MORE: James Harden delivers gospel truth and Game 4 win in his best home showing with Sixers