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Philadelphia 76ers vs Boston Celtics Playoff Series Predictions and Best Bets

by Spencer Toth - 4/16/2026

Philadelphia 76ers vs Boston Celtics playoff series predictions Jayson Tatum

After losing Jayson Tatum to a torn Achilles one year ago, the Boston Celtics were expected to rebuild this season and were underdogs to make the playoffs heading into the year. Flash forward to today, and they are Eastern Conference favorites heading into the postseason, with a stacked roster on both sides of the floor.
On the other hand, the Philadelphia 76ers were expected to be among the contenders in the East with Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and Paul George, but a series of injuries, suspensions, and underwhelming play had the 76ers in the play-in tournament to reach the playoffs. They took care of business to set up this series against the Celtics and now have the chance to prove the doubters wrong after a roller coaster regular season. 

The Celtics are heavy favorites to advance, but the star talent in Philadelphia means you can never count them out. Will Boston build on their excellent regular season with a first-round win, or will the 76ers pull off the improbable and knock off their longtime rivals? Here is the series breakdown with free best bets for the Celtics vs. the 76ers. 

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Boston Celtics: 

The Celtics finished the regular season with 50+ wins for the fifth straight year, collecting a 56-26 record to secure the second seed in the East. Jaylen Brown stepped up in a big way with Tatum missing the first 62 games of the season as he recovered from his 2025 injury. Brown’s 28.7 PPG was a new career high, as he was efficient and effective on the offensive end of the floor. Tatum’s return gave Brown his co-star back, and the Celtics cruised down the stretch with dominant play on both ends of the floor. 

The bright side of losing a star player for an extended time is that the rest of the roster was forced to step up in his absence. Payton Pritchard and Derrick White averaged 17.0 and 16.5 PPG, respectively, both setting new career highs as their usage jumped up this year. They would stay patient behind the arc, create their own offense, and both players were comfortable with the ball in their hands late in the shot clock. Pritchard and White are also both excellent defenders, making it no surprise that the Celtics have been able to string together wins this season. 

What separates the Celtics from other teams is their ball movement on offense. Brown, Tatum, White, and Pritchard all average more than five assists per game this year, as their unselfish play with the rock keeps teams guessing about who will take the shot. Once you add in Neemias Queta’s 8.4 rebounds per game with only one turnover a night, the Celtics have one of the most well-rounded starting fives in the league, with the second-best offensive rating in the NBA. 

On the other end of the court, the Celtics are just as dominant, with the fourth-best defensive rating. They play at the slowest pace in the league, which allows them to get back in transition, as Joe Mazzulla has really emphasized taking away easy fast break buckets. The Celtics' constant barrage of three-pointers, with a lack of crashing the offensive glass from their guards, ensures they are always in a position to defend. White, Brown, and Pritchard are all hounds on the outside, while Tatum and Queta have developed into two excellent on-ball defenders in the paint. The Celtics are unlikely to change their identity heading into this series and will look to outduel their opponents in slow-paced, low-scoring affairs. 

Philadelphia 76ers:
Despite the fact that the 76ers finished 24-58 last season, there was plenty of optimism heading into the year. Joel Embiid was reportedly healthy; Maxey and George were too, and the 76ers were equipped with their 3rd-overall pick, VJ Edgecombe. However, things did not go to plan, as Embiid appeared in just 38 games, and George got hit with a 25-game suspension for PED use, leaving Maxey and Edgecombe to do the bulk of the scoring for the 76ers. They managed to right the ship heading into the playoffs before Embiid’s appendicitis caused him to miss their play-in tournament win over the Orlando Magic. 

Fresh off that victory, the 76ers now prepare to face the Boston Celtics in the first round. Despite plenty of promise, the 76ers have still failed to reach the Eastern Conference Finals in the last 25 years. They are once again facing an uphill battle to do so, and unless they are fully healthy, pulling off this upset feels like a stretch. 

On the offensive end, the 76ers were mediocre with the 17th-best offense in the league in terms of offensive rating. They struggled to hit shots all year with the 23rd-best three-point percentage and overall field goal percentage, often running heavy isolation plays that resulted in a contested jump shot. Philadelphia also finished with the 28th-most assists in the league as a result, and that simply will not fly against a hungry Celtics defense. 

On the other end of the court, they weren’t any better with the 16th-best defensive rating. Their ever-changing lineup due to various ailments and injuries prevented them from building the team chemistry needed to succeed, and it appears the 76ers are headed for another long summer of thinking, 'What if?’. They have the star talent needed to make a deep playoff run, but after several years of disappointments both in the regular season and playoffs, the 76ers haven’t looked as though they are going to suddenly snap out of their funk against one of the most consistent teams in the league. 

Series Prediction:
The Boston Celtics are going to make this look easy. They are head and shoulders better than the 76ers on both ends of the court, they are the healthier and hotter team, with home court and a rest advantage in this series. Tatum and Brown have already proven they can win after their 2024 championship, while the 76ers haven’t won a playoff series since 2023. Boston has developed the talent on their roster over the last few years, while Philadelphia is still waiting for Embiid to get healthy again. 

If Embiid is good to go, the 76ers will need to make the most of his work on the inside. Boston’s overall defense is off the charts, but the one area they can be vulnerable to is big men in the paint. When he is on his game, Embiid is a commanding force that will score and get to the free-throw line with ease. He can drop 30+ points without too much effort, and a few hot nights from the 76ers’ shooters could allow them to pull off an upset or two. 

However, considering the stars have to align for the 76ers to win a game or two, expecting an upset in this series is a real stretch. Boston has been truly dominant this year and has only gotten better since Tatum made a relatively quick return from his injury. He looks nearly as good as he did before he got hurt, and Boston’s strong starting five, combined with a deep bench, certainly deserves to be in the heavy-favorite role in this series. 

The 76ers will take one game, but the Celtics will wrap it up with a gentleman’s sweep on their home court in Game 5. 

Prediction: Boston Celtics in Five Games

Best Bets:

The Boston Celtics are -1000 favorites to advance over the 76ers, who are coming back with +650 odds. It feels irresponsible to recommend a -1000 pick, but the reality is I really don’t see how the Celtics lose this one. There are very few flaws in their game, they are teasyop-heavy yet deep at the same time, while Joe Mazzulla has proven he is one of the league’s best coaches. You can use it as a parlay piece or take a small profit straight up, but Boston will undoubtedly win this series, and while I very rarely will recommend -1000 odds, this is one of the few times we will pull the trigger.
For better odds, we will take the Celtics to win in exactly five games at +200 odds. They have +180 odds to complete the clean sweep, but I expect the 76ers to steal at least one game thanks to their star talent. They won’t have the legs to go the distance with the Celtics, but Boston’s reliance on the three-ball will see them have one cold shooting night, and the 76ers have the talent to take advantage. The +200 price tag is a great number for a very plausible pick, and is one of the top first-round bets you can make across any series. 

Pick: Boston Celtics to Advance -1000

Top Pick: Series Correct Score, 4-1 Celtics +200

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