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Giannis is interested in teaming up with Tyrese Maxey in Philly

The Philadelphia 76ers dropped the ball on securing the Eastern Conference’s sixth seed last week. That sent them to the seventh seed, facing an NBA Play-In battle against the Orlando Magic on April 15.

With a win on Wednesday night, the Sixers would enter the NBA Playoffs with a first-round series against the Boston Celtics.

The loser of the matchup would be set to face the Charlotte Hornets on Friday to fight for the final seed. The eighth seed secures a series against the Detroit Pistons.

Orlando put up a good fight against the Sixers, but Philadelphia managed to put them away at the Xfinity Mobile Arena with a 109-97 score. The Sixers will once again take on the Celtics in the playoffs, hoping to find different results than in recent years.

Philadelphia 76ers vs Boston Celtics Series Schedule

GettyPHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA – OCTOBER 17: VJ Edgecombe #77 talks to Tyrese Maxey #0 of the Philadelphia 76ers during a game between the Philadelphia 76ers and Minnesota Timberwolves at Xfinity Mobile Arena on October 17, 2025 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)

Following the first set of NBA Play-In action on Tuesday night, the NBA announced the full first-round schedule for the 2026 NBA Playoffs.

Here’s when the Sixers will play:

• Game 1: Sunday, April 19 – 1 PM ET on ABC
• Game 2: Tuesday, April 21 – 7 PM ET on PEACOCK
• Game 3: Friday, April 24 – 7 PM ET on PRIME
• Game 4: Sunday, April 26 – 7 PM ET on NBC
• Game 5: Tuesday, April 28 – TBD
• Game 6: Thursday, April 30 – TBD
• Game 7: Saturday, May 2 – TBD

The Sixers-Celtics Rivalry Is Lopsided

Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty ImagesPHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA – JANUARY 08: Tyrese Maxey #0 of the Philadelphia 76ers reacts to a call by the referee during a game against the Washington Wizards against the Washington Wizards at the Wells Fargo Center on January 08, 2025 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)

In regular-season history, the Celtics have defeated the Sixers 75 more times.

Throughout the Joel Embiid era, the Sixers have typically struggled against the Celtics in the regular season and the playoffs. This season, the Celtics and the Sixers split the series.

When the two teams met on opening night, October 22, the Sixers squeezed out a 116-116 victory. They revisited the series almost immediately, which resulted in a 109-108 win for the Celtics.

The Atlantic Division rivals went at it for the third time on November 11, and the Sixers defeated Boston 102-100. Months later, on March 1, the Celtics split the series with a 114-98 win.

Since 2018, the Sixers and the Celtics have met in the playoffs three times. Two of those series were in the second round. In 2018, the Celtics beat the Sixers 4-1. When they met in the bubble during the first round, the Celtics sent the Sixers home with a clean 4-0 sweep.

The 2023 playoffs marked the first time that Tyrese Maxey was around for a Boston-Philly playoff series. The Sixers led the series at 3-2 going into Game 6, but they dropped the final two matchups.

A potentially Joel Embiid-less 76ers team will enter the NBA Playoffs with hopes of finally beating the trend. The two teams will meet on Sunday for the first time since early March.