NBA Basketball BETTING PREVIEW - Philadelphia 76ers @ Boston Celtics

NBA Basketball

2026-04-19 - Philadelphia 76ers at Boston Celtics

A Sports Betting Preview by FirstDown

Philadelphia 76ers @ Boston Celtics
United States : NBA Basketball Playoffs First Round Game 1
Sunday 19th April 2026 - Scheduled 1pm EST
6pm (British Time)

---

Preview

Winning the opening Play In Tournament game has pushed the Philadelphia 76ers into the NBA Playoffs as the Number 7 Seed and that means a First Round Series against the Boston Celtics.

They came into the season knowing there would be a huge reliance on the 'big three' of Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Paul George, but injuries have seen all three miss significant time on the court. Joel Embiid was not available for the Play In Tournament win over the Orlando Magic and the team have announced that he is not going to suit up for Game 1 of the First Round Series either.

Credit has to be given to VJ Edgecombe for stepping up to the plate- he arrived as a high Draft Pick, but Edgecombe may have been expected to ease into his professional career, but has not been overawed by the opportunities that have come up.

He had 19 Points and 11 Rebounds in the win over the Magic and the Philadelphia 76ers will have gained some confidence from having won three games in a row.

Despite that, the 76ers enter Game 1 as a big underdog and that has plenty to do with the fact they are facing a Boston Celtics team that have overachieved all season without Jayson Tatum. The expectation was that the Celtics would largely coast through this campaign and then look to bounce back when Tatum would be fully healthy in the 2026/27 season, but things changed thanks to the performances of those who have been operating in the Celtics uniform all season.

Jaylen Brown has thrived as the leader, and that has encouraged the Boston Celtics to give Jayson Tatum the freedom to decide how healthy he feels before returning.

Unsurprisingly Tatum has shown his own leadership by returning from his devastating injury sooner than anticipated and he has fitted back in seamlessly with the team.

With that in mind, it is no surprise to see the Boston Celtics move into one of the favourites spots in the Eastern Conference, but they will not be taking anything for granted and will need Jayson Tatum at close to his best. There is a depth on the roster that does make the Celtics dangerous and they can come out and make a big early statement in this First Round Series by covering the very big line set.

Big favourites have tended to perform very well in the First Round of the NBA Playoffs, while the Number 2 Seed in this Round have been very good at covering in the first two games of the Series and when set as a favourite of more than 4.5 points.

Respect has to be given to the Philadelphia 76ers for the Defensive efforts they have continued to produce even without Joel Embiid in the lineup and that could help them keep this one close.

However, the Celtics are very strong on the Defensive side of the court themselves and Boston can perhaps match the 16 point victory over the 76ers recorded in early March.

Prediction

Lay the points with the home favourite.

The Pick :

Boston Celtics 116-101 Philadelphia 76ers

FIXED ODDS BETTING :

I'll back Boston Celtics - 12.5 Points at -110 with BetOnline