Philly, despite its elite starting five, is 5-13 ATS in its last 18 road games while Boston is getting back to full strength. With Al Horford starting, the Celtics have covered four straight. Lay it.

This is the game I'm most looking forward to on Christmas, with both squads extremely competitive. The rivalry is not quite like the days of the Boston Strangler (Andrew Toney) in the early '80s, but I'll take it. The NBA needs this. I need this. Current form shows the Celtics ended a three-game slide (0-3 ATS) by winning 119-103 at home Sunday against the Hornets. Prior to the slide, the Celtics had won and covered eight straight, most of which were blowouts. The Sixers opened the season with a 105-87 loss at Boston (-5), but they come off a 126-101 win against the East-leading Toronto. Still, I'm on Boston to do its thing at home and win large.