76ers vs. Celtics Wednesday NBA playoffs Game 2 injury report, odds: Spread shifts three points with Joel Embiid now expected to play

We were going to give updated betting splits on Wednesday's Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals with the 76ers visiting the Celtics, but those trends are likely to change dramatically with the news that Philadelphia center and newly crowned MVP Joel Embiid is expected to play -- a surprise, considering he's listed as doubtful because of a knee sprain. That has dropped the spread three points at Caesars Sportsbook with Boston currently -7.5. Click here for model picks.

After winning his first-regular season MVP on Tuesday night (he finished second in the previous two seasons to Denver center Nikola Jokic), Embiid turned to the team and said "I'm back" in regards to playing Game 2. Shams Charania is reporting he will play barring any setbacks, despite there being no change to his doubtful tag as of this writing. Embiid participated in the team's shootaround on Wednesday morning, but also did so before Game 1 before being ruled out. 

Embiid, who may be wearing a brace on that troublesome knee, led the NBA in scoring during the season at 33.1 points per game and averaged 36.8 points and 11.8 rebounds in four games vs. Boston. Embiid became the first NBA MVP to average at least 30 points and 10 rebounds on a minimum of 50% shooting from the floor since Moses Malone did so in 1981-82. From a player prop/Fantasy standpoint, Embiid's return would essentially make backup center Paul Reed irrelevant. Reed had back-to-back double-doubles while starting for Embiid, who also missed the finale of the Nets series. 

The Sixers closed as 10.5-point underdogs for Game 1 without Embiid and shocked the Celtics in a 119-115 win behind a postseason career-high 45 points from James Harden. He had been set at over/under 23.5 points Wednesday, but the sportsbooks are recalibrating everything currently with the Embiid news (first repost is Harden at 21.5 points). Harden outscored Boston's dynamic duo of Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum 15-10 in the fourth quarter. Tatum had 39 points but his last field goal came with 11:06 remaining in the fourth.

The Celtics shot 58.7% from the field overall and committed just 10 fouls, yet still lost. Teams had been 23-0 all-time in the shot-clock era (since 1954-55) in the regular season and playoffs when shooting at least 55% from the field and committing 10 or fewer fouls.

Boston could be without 2021-22 NBA Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart on Wednesday. He took an elbow to the chest in the third quarter of Game 1 and played through it but is listed questionable. Smart had 12 points, seven assists and three rebounds in 35 minutes, but also committed six turnovers. 

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