76ers vs. Celtics: Will Boston be challenged in Spherical 1? Sequence keys, schedule and prediction

[ad_1] The Japanese Convention’s second-seeded Boston Celtics play the seventh-seeded Philadelphia 76ers within the first spherical of the 2026 NBA playoffs. The Atlantic Division rivals met within the postseason 3 times from 2018-23, and the Celtics’ mixture of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown superior towards Joel Embiid’s Sixers every time.

Bounce to:Sequence schedule | Betting oddsWhat to find out about Celtics What to find out about 76ers Head-to-head | Matchup to watchKey query | Prediction

East previews: Hawks-Knicks • Raptors-Cavaliers West previews: Wolves-Nuggets • Rockets-Lakers

Sequence schedule Recreation 1: Solar., April 19 at Boston (1 p.m., ABC)Recreation 2: Tue., April 21 at Boston (7 p.m., Peacock)Recreation 3: Fri., April 24 at Philadelphia (7 p.m., Prime)Recreation 4: Solar., April 26 at Philadelphia (7 p.m., NBC)*Recreation 5: Tue., April 28 at Boston (TBD)*Recreation 6: Thu., April 30 at Philadelphia (TBD)*Recreation 7: Sat., Might 2 at Boston (TBD)

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*if mandatory

Sequence betting odds (By way of BetMGM)

Boston Celtics (-900)Philadelphia 76ers (+600)

What we all know concerning the Celtics The Celtics misplaced All-NBA first group mainstay Jayson Tatum to a ruptured Achilles within the second spherical of the 2025 playoffs, the place their title protection ended towards the New York Knicks. Furthermore, they confronted an enormous luxurious tax invoice in Tatum’s absence, shedding the salaries of Kristaps Porziņģis, Jrue Vacation, Al Horford and Luke Kornet.

Many figured for them for a niche yr (i.e., Tatum rehabs, they duck the tax, possibly even decide up a lottery decide, and so they refocus their consideration on the 2026-27 season.) Solely head coach Joe Mazzulla, a maniacal competitor, didn’t enable it. Jaylen Brown, who submitted his personal marketing campaign worthy of the All-NBA First Crew, wouldn’t enable it.

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Everybody in Boston deserves credit score for taking a step ahead in Tatum’s absence. Guards Derrick White and Payton Pritchard assumed added accountability on the offensive finish. Neemias Queta is a Most Improved Participant candidate at middle, the place Luka Garza is an X-factor. Unheralded wings Sam Hauser, Baylor Scheierman, Hugo Gonzalez and Jordan Walsh every impacted victories. Even Anfernee Simons made important contributions, earlier than he was traded on the deadline for Nikola Vučević.

The Celtics performed so nicely as a collective, in truth, that it allowed Tatum to return at his personal tempo, forward of schedule, to a second-place group. It wasn’t a straightforward determination. Did he push himself an excessive amount of to return again too early? Might the Celtics contend anyway, even with a wholesome Tatum, contemplating all of the expertise they misplaced in the summertime?

Tatum has answered each questions with flying colours to date. No, he didn't come again too early. He’s averaging a 22-10-5 in 33 minutes per sport over 16 appearances, wanting lots like himself, solely rather less explosive. (And extra explosive each sport.) And sure, Boston can cope with this Brown, this Tatum and this supporting forged of overachievers. They're the betting favorites to emerge from the East for a motive.

What we all know concerning the 76ers You might inform lots about these 76ers from their 117-116 win in Boston on the opening night time of the common season. Joel Embiid’s availability was spotty, at the same time as he was in uniform, and Paul George was recovering from offseason knee surgical procedure, so Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe established themselves as Philadelphia’s future as a substitute.

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So it was for a lot of the season. Maxey was an electrical playmaker all yr, averaging 28.3 factors and 6.6 assists per sport. He'll virtually definitely make an All-NBA group. Edgecombe will virtually definitely end third within the Rookie of the Yr race behind Dallas Mavericks ahead Cooper Flagg and Charlotte Hornets guard Kon Knueppel.

Quentin Grimes rounds out a stable guard rotation that might have been even deeper had govt Daryl Morey not swapped Jared McCain for future draft consideration.

In the meantime, Embiid missed greater than half the season for a 3rd straight yr. When he was on the ground, he was nonetheless very scary, each as a participant — averaging a 27-8-4 on 49/33/85 taking pictures splits in 31.6 minutes per sport — and as an damage danger. Sixers followers held their breath on each fall. In the long run, it was an appendectomy that may price him (in all chance) everything of their first-round sequence. It's as if the 76ers are cursed.

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George additionally missed 45 video games, together with 25 to suspension. The nine-time All-Star was enjoying his finest basketball in a Sixers uniform, averaging a 24-6-4 on 48/47/75 taking pictures splits over a seven-game stretch, when information broke of Embiid’s appendix.

So, now the Sixers have Maxey, Edgecombe and George however no Embiid. These lineups should still be +5.1 factors per 100 significant possessions, per Cleansing the Glass, however they characteristic a whole lot of Dominick Barlow or Kelly Oubre Jr. on the 4 and Andre Drummond or Adem Bona on the 5. Which is to say: Embiid’s presence can be missed.

Head-to-head The Celtics and 76ers break up their regular-season sequence, 2-2.

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Three of the 4 conferences occurred earlier than Thanksgiving, two of which got here earlier than the calendar turned to November. Even the fourth one, on March 1, which seemed probably the most like what we would see on this sequence, didn’t boast Tatum or George for a minute.

Early within the season, the Celtics relied closely on Simons and Josh Minott, Chris Boucher and Xavier Tillman, guys who're now not on the roster. These minutes have been allotted elsewhere, principally to Tatum. Scheierman and Gonzalez performed their approach into the rotation. The middle group of Queta, Garza and Vučević is nearly as good as may have been anticipated, given the exits of Porziņģis, Horford and Kornet.

Level is: Boston’s rotation appears to be like lots completely different now than it did when the 76ers handed them a pair of one-possession losses within the first few weeks of the season. The identical could be mentioned of the 76ers, who counted Justin Edwards as their main scorer in a 102-100 win over the Celtics on Nov. 11. Take all of it with a grain of salt.

Know this: Between them, Maxey and Edgecombe averaged 50 factors (on 46.4% taking pictures from 3!), 12.3 assists and 9.5 rebounds in 4 video games towards the Celtics this season. Stopping them, with George, even with out Embiid, is not any straightforward proposition.

Matchup to observe Tyrese Maxey vs. Derrick White

As a result of Pritchard, the 2025 Sixth Man of the Yr, began Boston’s first three video games vs. Philadelphia this season, he drew the majority of the defensive project on Maxey. Pritchard, who's fast, did an honest job, even higher than White, a minimum of statistically.

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However I’m going to exit on a limb and recommend White — Boston’s All-Defensive candidate — will draw the project on the 76ers’ All-NBA guard to begin the sequence. His capability to select pockets (1.1 steals per sport) and swat pictures (1.3 blocks per sport) will make Maxey assume on each possession, even when he has had success towards White.

White had loads of success towards Maxey, too, scoring 20 factors in lower than 10 minutes when matched up with the Sixers’ guard, in line with NBA monitoring information. The Celtics scored 161 factors per 100 possessions each time Brown known as Maxey into the motion. Tatum will decide on Maxey, too. All the Celtics will. It’s an issue, particularly if and when Embiid isn’t there so as to add a layer of rim safety behind him.

The Sixers had been outscored by 1.3 factors per 100 possessions within the 40.5 minutes per sport that Maxey was on the ground towards the Celtics this season, and that may spell hassle for Philadelphia if the pattern continues. Slot Edgecombe beside Maxey, and the Sixers outscored the Celtics by 1.8 factors per 100 possessions over 127 minutes.

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Add George to the combination, leverage the protection additional, leaving Maxey and Edgecombe on islands, and possibly Philadelphia has one thing, or so the considering goes. George hasn’t performed a second towards Boston this season. Then once more, the Celtics have additionally added a wing of their very own, and theirs is a 28-year-old trendy marvel of drugs.

Key query How shut can Jayson Tatum come to peak Jayson Tatum?

He has the rebounding, the driving capability, the taking pictures type, the playmaking, most of what has made Tatum into Tatum. However he doesn’t have the elevation or explosiveness.

He’s shut on each, seemingly getting nearer with every sport. He posted a 15-12-7 in 27 minutes of a debut on March 7. He broke half-hour three video games later and scored 30 factors for the primary time this yr in solely his eleventh sport again. A number of nights later, he logged a 25-18-11 triple-double. Tatum averaged a 22-10-5 on 41/33/82 taking pictures splits in 16 video games of the common season — outstanding, given he's 11 months faraway from surgical procedure on his torn proper Achilles — however all of us assume he may get even higher, proper?

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In any case, when final we noticed him on a basketball courtroom within the playoffs, he was placing collectively a 42-8-4 masterpiece over 40 minutes, simply earlier than his Achilles gave out. He was one of the best American-born participant alive and one of many 5 finest gamers on Earth.

He was, virtually, what Brown has been for the Celtics all of this season. If Tatum can return to an All-NBA stage, he and Brown can have a case once more as one of the best duo within the league, after which it received’t simply be Philadelphia that has to fret about Boston.

Considerations about Tatum and Brown and whether or not they can coexist are comical at this level. They delivered a title and had been 5 minutes from taking a 3-1 lead in one other NBA Finals. They've received 15 playoff sequence collectively. Few duos have ever loved a lot success. Tatum and Brown have by no means misplaced as a tandem within the first spherical, and so they have a supporting forged, as unheralded as it might be, that may profit them.

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They're 28 and 29 years outdated, respectively, within the prime of their careers. At their peaks, they're perennial title contenders. The Achilles damage threatened Tatum’s peak. We expect he can get again to these heights. However can he this yr? If every sequence is a chance for Tatum to seek out one other gear, assembly this second is a subsequent step.

Prediction: Celtics in six With out Embiid, the 76ers have been outscored by 3.2 factors per 100 possessions, permitting 116.3 factors per 100 possessions — a bottom-10 determine. Even when Maxey and Edgecombe win their backcourt matchups, principally towards White and Pritchard, how does Philadelphia fight Tatum and Brown when George is its solely star ahead?

Given all of Boston’s efficiencies — fewest turnovers per sport, third in made 3s per sport and top-five in offensive rebounding fee — it's laborious to think about the Sixers manufacturing sufficient factors, even with Maxey, Edgecombe and George as choices.