NBA Basketball
2026-04-26 - Boston Celtics at Philadelphia 76ers
A Sports Betting Pick by FirstDown
United States : NBA Basketball Playoffs First Round Game 4
Sunday 26th April 2026 - Scheduled 7pm EST
12am (British Time)
Preview
Late Free. Throws pushed Boston Celtics past the spread, but they were only focused on winning Game 3 whether that be by a single point or a hundred points... Taking back home court was all that mattered and the Boston Celtics have achieved that after taking a 2-1 lead in this First Round Series.
However, there is now going to be a serious opportunity in front of the Celtics to try and push on and take another road victory and then return home being able to close things out next week.
Like they have over the past couple of seasons, the Boston Celtics live and die by the three point shot and they were in efficient mood on Friday to earn the victory. Even then, the Celtics will have a lot of respect for this scrappy Philadelphia 76ers team who gave as good as they got in Game 3 and continue to challenge the Boston Celtics without Joel Embiid in the lineup.
They will feel they can shoot the ball better than they did in Game 3, while there is still a hope that Joel Embiid will be able to suit up in this one having come close to being available on Friday. A couple more days of rest may be enough, but this feels like a Series that will come down to shooting of the Boston Celtics and the 76ers will need them to have another off day to get into a position to win and level things up again.
VJ Edgecombe was not able to produce the same scoring power as he showed in the Game 2 upset on the road and the rookie will need to offer a bit more support to the likes of Tyrese Maxey. Paul George had a decent 7-14 day shooting from the field, but the 76ers may need the veteran to look to take more command in this Game 4 and not just settle to be a role player to the others on the court.
The 76ers are a big home underdog in Game 4 and teams have not played well in this spot with hosts being given at least 3.5 points being 14-26-1 against the spread over the last thirteen years.
They have shown enough to believe they can be competitive, but Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown have taken control of games at key times to give the Boston Celtics the lead. They are experienced enough to handle the situation and the Boston Celtics may do just enough to cover this mark set.
Prediction
Lay the points with the higher Seed as they bid to move into a First Round Series 3-1 lead.
The Pick :
Philadelphia 76ers 102-112 Boston Celtics
