NBA Basketball
2026-04-21 - Philadelphia 76ers at Boston Celtics
A Sports Betting Pick by FirstDown
United States : NBA Basketball Playoffs First Round Game 2
Tuesday 21st April 2026 - Scheduled 7pm EST
12am (British Time)
Preview
As soon as they won the first Play In Tournament to earn the Number 7 Seed in the Eastern Conference, the Philadelphia 76ers preparation for the Boston Celtics would have reminded them of the challenge facing them in this First Round Series.
Game 1 underlined the statement after the Boston Celtics blew past the 76ers and there are some significant adjustments that need to be made on both sides of the court.
The absent Joel Embiid is casting a big shadow over the Philadelphia 76ers and his presence may have given them more hope, but there is a lot of pressure on those who have to tow the line without him. Tyrese Maxey and Paul George have experience and plenty of talent, but they will need support and the 76ers cannot afford too may subpar shooting days as they produced in Game 1 if they are going to push this Series beyond four or five games.
Not many teams will win games shooting at 4-23 from the three point range and especially not as a lower Seed facing one of the genuine Championship contenders. You have to believe the 76ers will not be as poor from that distance again, but even that may not be enough to close the significant final gap between the teams at the end of Game 1 and there is a lot of pressure on the underdog.
It will also feel like a must for the 76ers to win the Rebounding numbers having lost the battle on the boards in Game 1- having second chance Offensive opportunities and keeping Boston from doing the same is paramount to any upset they can produce, but all in all, it feels like a tall task.
The Celtics will have been really happy to see Jayson Tatum looking as strong as he did in Game 1, while they continue to light up the scoring from the three point arc.
Everyone contributed around Tatum in Game 1 and this makes the Boston Celtics dangerous, even if it feels like the roster is not as strong as recent teams that have made the Playoffs.
They should have too much for the Philadelphia 76ers again, even if Game 2 is certainly going to be more competitive than the first on Sunday. One of the keys for the Celtics is to avoid losing focus and trying to get through this First Round Series as soon as possible knowing the challenges that await further into the Playoffs are much greater and keeping energy in reserve for this is hugely important.
Once again the Boston Celtics can show what a big favourite can do in the First Round of the NBA Playoffs, while home teams have backed up victories effectively in Game 2 of this opening Round of the post-season.
Over recent years, it has also been difficult for teams coming off blowout losses to bounce back in the next game and that is another test for the 76ers- they cannot shoot any poorly from three point range, but stopping the Boston Celtics is going to be a problem and the home team can cover as the double digit favourite.
Prediction
Lay the points with the home favourite as they bid to move into a 2-0 lead in this First Round Series.
The Pick :
Boston Celtics 114-98 Philadelphia 76ers
