Philadelphia 76ers (0-0) at Boston Celtics (0-0)
Sunday, April 19, 2026
1:00 PM ET
First Round Game #1 Home Game #1
TV: ABC
Radio: 98.5 Sports Hub, 97.5 Fanatic, Sirius XM
TD Garden
The Boston Celtics and the Philadelphia 76ers meet in the playoffs for the 23rd time, which includes Philly’s time as the Syracuse Nationals in the 50’s and early 60’s. This is the most for any 2 teams in the league. The Celtics lead all time with 15 wins to 7 for the 76ers and they have won the last 6 series against Philly.
The last time the 76ers beat the Celtics in the playoffs was in the Eastern Conference Finals in 1982 when the Beat LA chant was born as Celtics fans urged the 76ers to beat the hated Lakers.
The Celtics have won all 3 series that have been played in the Brown/Tatum era, winning in 2018, 2020 and 2023. The Celtics are 212-199 overall, all time against the 76ers. They are 157-58 all time in games played in Boston. These two teams tied the series 2-2 this season. The 76ers won 117-116 on opening night, October 22 in Boston and they won again 102-100 in Philadelphia on November 11. The Celtics won 109-108 in Philadelphia on October 31 and again 114-98 in Boston on March 1.
Three of the games this season came before November 12 when the Celtics were just 5-7 and 11th in the league. They were just getting used to all the new players at that time while the 76ers brought back mostly the same team and were already used to playing together. The 76ers were 7-4 at that time. Philadelphia’s 2 wins were by a total of 3 points. The Celtics first win in October was by 1 point, but their March 1 win was by a total of 16 points.
Three of the 4 matches between the Celtics and 76ers this season were decided by 2 points or less. The Celtics need to avoid close games down the stretch in these playoffs if they can help it. The 76ers had the #1 clutch defense in the NBA this season. They had a 98.6 defensive rating during the last 5 minutes of games that were within 5 points. They were 23-18 in games that included clutch minutes. The Celtics were 16-17 in games that included clutch minutes and that includes going 1-2 against Philadelphia this season.
We can’t take a lot from those regular season games to predict how this game, or this series, will go. First, the Celtics did not have Jayson Tatum for any of the 4 games. Also, Philly didn’t have Paul George for any of the 4 games and they didn’t have Embiid for the November 11 and March 1 games. They will be missing Embiid for this game but Paul George will be a key player for them in this series and gives them a defender with size to put up against Tatum and Brown.
The Celtics come into this game with a clean injury report. After having 8 players sit out their final game of the season, the Celtics have no players listed on their injury report at this time. For the 76ers, Joel Embiid is the only player on their injury report. Embiid underwent an appendectomy on April 9. Recovery for an appendectomy is anywhere from 20 days to 5 weeks. We know that he will miss at least the first part of the series and the Celtics need to take advantage and win while he is out. I’m guessing that Adem Bona will start at center.
Probable Starting Matchups
PG: Derrick White vs Tyrese Maxey
SG: Jaylen Brown vs VJ Edgecombe
SF: Sam Hauser vs Kelly Oubre, Jr
PF: Jayson Tatum vs Paul George
C: Neemias Queta vs Adem Bona
Celtics Reserves
Payton Pritchard
Hugo Gonzalez
Luka Garza
Amare Williams
Baylor Scheierman
Max Shulga
Nikola Vucevic
Ron Harper, Jr
Delano Banton
John Tonje
2-Way Players
None
Injuries/Out
None
Head Coach
Joe Mazzulla
76ers Reserves
Andre Drummond
Quentin Grimes
Kyle Lowry
Justin Edwards
Trendon Watford
Dalen Terry
Dominick Barlow
Jabari Walker
2-Way Players
MarJon Beauchamp
Tyrese Martin
Injuries/Out
Joel Embiid (Appendix) out
Head Coach
Nick Nurse
Key Matchups
Derrick White vs Tyrese Maxey
In the regular season, Maxey averaged 28.3 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 6.6 assists per game while shooting 46.2% from the field and 36.7% from beyond the arc. In the 4 games against the Celtics this season, he averaged 30 points, 4.5 rebounds, 8.8 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.3 blocks while shooting 41.8% from the field and 51.4% from beyond the arc. Maxey’s speed makes him hard to defend, but 4 Celtics have had success in guarding him this season. Against Pritchard, he scored 13 points in 55 possessions. Against White, he scored 19 points in 49 possessions. Against Scheierman, he scored 8 points in 44 possessions and against Walsh, he scored 4 points in 33 possessions. Among the 4, hopefully the Celtics can keep Maxey in check.
Jayson Tatum vs Paul George
In the regular season, George averaged 17.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 3.6 assists while shooting 43.9% from the field and 39.2% from beyond the arc. Neither of these players were able to play in any of the 4 games between Boston and Philly this season. George gives the 76ers a 2-way player with the size and ability to guard Jayson Tatum. But that goes both ways because Tatum can also guard George and is a better rebounder.
Honorable Mention
Jaylen Brown vs Vj Edgecomb
Edgecombe will likely come in 3rd for Rookie of the Year. He averaged 16.0 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game while shooting 43.8% from the field and 35.4% from beyond the arc. In the 4 games against the Celtics this season, he averaged 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 3.5 assists while shooting 43.5% from the field and 41.2% from beyond the arc. The Celtics need to be ready for him and defend him both in the paint and on the perimeter.
Keys to the Game
Defense – As always, defense is a key to winning this, and every, game. Defense wins championships. In the first 20 games of the season, the Celtics were 18th on defense. In the 2nd 20 games, they ranked 12th. In the next16 games, they had the 3rd best defense. Overall, they are 4th with a defensive rating of 111.7. The 76ers are 17th with a defensive rating of 114.4. The Celtics must play tough lock down defense in this game if they want to beat the 76ers.
Rebound – Rebounding is also one of the biggest keys to winning every game. As Pat Riley once said, “No rebounds, no rings. The Celtics are 3rd in the league with 46.4 rebounds per game. The 76ers are 17th with 43.6 rebounds per game. The Celtics are 43-12 in games that they tie or out-rebound opponents. They are just 11-13 in games tin which they are out-rebounded. They simply have to fight harder to grab rebounds than the 76ers. Every Celtic has got to crash the boards and fight for every rebound.
Move the Ball Carefully – The Celtics need to move the ball and find the open man. They play their best when they share the ball and keep it moving. They were 36-2 this season when they had more than 25 assists in a game. They were 35-0 this season when they had more assists than their opponent. Both the Celtics and 76ers average 24.6 assists per game. However, the Celtics need to make careful passes and limit turnovers. They also have to be aware while dribbling and not drive into a crowd or allow a defender to steal the ball since the 76ers average 19 points off turnovers per game.
Be Aggressive and Stay Focused – The Celtics need to be the more aggressive team. They have to play physical defense and they have to be more aggressive in going for rebounds and loose balls and getting to the basket, especially if their 3’s aren’t falling. Usually the more aggressive team gets the benefit of the calls and being more aggressive will help to fluster the 76ers. They also have to stay focused on on playing the right way. Move the ball, look for the open man, take good shots, play physical defense, and fight for rebounds.
X-Factors
Home Game – Teams play all season to secure home court in the playoffs. The Celtics need to feed off the energy of the crowd and hopefully, the 76ers will be distracted by travel and the hostile crowd. The Celtics should play harder to win on their home court. Losing Game 1 at home is a major setback, historically giving the home team only about a 58-61% chance to win the series. However, when they win Game 1 at home, they go on to win the series about 84.8% of the time. The Celtics need to protect home court and keep their home court advantage.
Coaching – Joe Mazzulla is in his 4th season as Celtics’ head coach. He won a title in 2024 with a very talented team that was packed with shooting stars. Now he has to win in a different way since his personnel has changed and he did a great job in the regular season. Nick Nurse is in his 8th season as a head coach overall and his 3rd as the 76ers head coach. He won a title with the Raptors in 2019. The 76ers returned their core this season and added a very talented lottery pick and so Nurse has a lot to prove with this team.
Officiating – Officiating is always an x-factor. Every crew calls the game differently. Some call it tight and call every bit of contact while others allow more physical play. Some favor the home team while others call both sides evenly. Refs usually allow a little more go in the playoffs but not always. The Celtics have to adjust to the way the refs are calling the game and not allow the no calls and bad calls to affect their focus on playing the game.
