Philadelphia 76ers vs. Boston Celtics Game 1 Preview, Picks & Odds for Sunday, April 19, 2026

By Nate Weitzer | Apr 18, 2026, 7:19pm

Old rivals clash in the first round of the NBA Playoffs beginning with Sunday’s Game 1 matchup between the No. 7 Philadelphia 76ers and No. 2 Boston Celtics. at 1 p.m. ET on ABC.

The Sixers will likely be without star center Joel Embiid (appendectomy) for the duration of the series, although there is a chance he could return in the coming weeks. The Celtics were playing without superstar Jayson Tatum (Achilles) for most of the season, but still dominated with the best offensive rating (120) among Eastern Conference teams and the second-most efficient mark in NBA history.

Boston crushed expectations this year with Jaylen Brown making another leap from an All-NBA player to a veritable MVP candidate. Celtics role players also made huge leaps, including Neemias Queta, who suddenly looms as the best big man in this series without Embiid. Names like Baylor Scheiermann, Luka Garza, Hugo Gonzalez, and others have suddenly become very good NBA players and Joe Mazzulla is the Coach of the Year favorite for his work developing those guys.

Philadelphia started hot, then fizzled in the middle of the season when Paul George was hit with a 25-game suspension, Embiid got injured, and Tyrese Maxey started to slow down due to a ridiculous workload. Rookie VJ Edgecombe has been a revelation for the Sixers and head coach Nick Nurse is no stranger to playoff battles with the Celtics and other top-tier Eastern Conference foes.

76ers vs. Celtics Betting Analysis

Will the Celtics regular season dominance translate to the second season? Boston went 30-11 at home and demolished the 76ers in the last meeting between these teams, which happened to come on a Sunday afternoon in early March. Without Embiid, the Sixers are vulnerable down low and Queta has been a monster with his activity, posting 27 points and 17 rebounds in that win.

But the Sixers have great wing defenders in George and Kelly Oubre Jr. to match up with Brown and Tatum. Philadelphia was also a very solid 3-point defense this season and has the quick guards necessary to scramble against Payton Pritchard, Derrick White, and Boston’s spread attack.

On the other side of the ball, Maxey has been unstoppable, even against White and the Celtics defense. He dropped 40 points on opening night in Boston and looked prolific in the Play-in tournament win over Jalen Suggs and the Orlando Magic. Edgecombe hasn’t shied away from any top matchups this season and the Sixers have veteran experience to keep things calm in a tough road environment.

76ers vs. Celtics Best Bet, Pick & Prediction

With two very young guards leading the offense, the Sixers haven’t dipped on short rest this year, going 13-5 against the spread (ATS) when playing on a rest disadvantage. They played the Celtics close three times early in the season and Embiid was barely active (22.5 MPG) for the first two matchups.

This should be a close game down the stretch and the Sixers could easily cover an inflated spread. While Philly might not have much of a shot to win this series without Embiid, they will be gunning to “steal” Game 1 in the Sunday matinee and could catch the Celtics showing a little rust as they come off a long break.

Best Bet: 76ers +13 (-105)
Score Prediction: Celtics 118, 76ers 112

76ers vs. Celtics Game Odds

76ers vs. Celtics Game Information

Date: Sunday, April 19, 2026
Time: 1:00 p.m. ET
Network: ABC
Location: Boston, Massachusetts
Venue: TD Garden – 221.8 ppg; 15-26 O/U
Series Score: 0-0
Series Preview

76ers vs. Celtics Betting Resources

76ers vs. Celtics Key Players

Philadelphia 76ers

Tyrese Maxey: 28.3 ppg; 6.6 apg
Paul George: 17.3 ppg; 5.3 rpg
VJ Edgecombe: 16.0 ppg; 5.6 rpg

Boston Celtics

Jayson Tatum: 21.8 ppg; 10.0 rpg; 5.3 apg
Jaylen Brown: 28.7 ppg; 6.9 rpg; 5.1 apg
Derrick White: 16.5 ppg; 5.4 apg

Nate Weitzer

Nate Weitzer has been covering sports betting and daily fantasy sports at Catena Media for nearly a decade, focusing primarily on NBA and NFL content. He is the co-host of the NBA and NFL Coast 2 Coast show on the Lineups YouTube channel, where he provides daily picks and prop bets alongside co-host Josh Lander. He also runs the NFL premium content channel at LandYourBets.com. In addition to his duties at Catena, Weitzer is a high school sports reporter for The Boston Globe and a freelance writer for other outlets, covering stories ranging from high school championships to ski mountaineering races. He graduated from Boston University’s MS in Sports Journalism program in 2012.