The NBA playoffs are in full swing with plenty of competitive action in the first round. Tipping off at 1:00 p.m. ET as the No. 2 vs. No. 7 matchup in the Eastern Conference, the Philadelphia 76ers will be taking on the Boston Celtics. This year’s matchup does not carry quite as much bite as the once fierce rivalry, with Joel Embiid currently sidelined. However, there are still plenty of exciting storylines to note.

You can check out the full preview and prediction for the series on DraftKings Network here.

Looking at the odds for the series opener, the Celtics are 12.5-point favorites and hold -600 odds of winning outright on DraftKings Sportsbook. The 76ers hold +550 odds of winning outright, with the game total set at 213.5 points.

76ers vs. Celtics preview

In 2025-26, the Philadelphia 76ers rebounded from a disastrous previous season in which injuries derailed their outlook as they finished with a 24-58 record. They went 45-37 this season, which slotted them in seventh place in the Eastern Conference, and they officially punched their ticket to the playoffs with a victory over the Orlando Magic in the Play-In Tournament. Philadelphia has gone 44-39 against the spread, and the game total is 40-43 to the over/under.

After showing some signs of peaking at the right time, the Sixers received an unfortunate injury blow with Joel Embiid needing to undergo emergency surgery for appendicitis during the final days of the regular season. He has been ruled out for Game 1 of the series, but there is some level of hope the former MVP could return if the Sixers can stay afloat long enough without him.

Tyrese Maxey has stepped up as the leader of the franchise as Embiid’s injuries have hit their low point over the past few seasons. Maxey earned his second career All-Star appearance this season with averages of 28.3 points, 6.6 assists, and 4.1 rebounds while leading the NBA in minutes. V.J Edgecombe has shown to be an ideal backcourt mate, adding 16.0 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 4.2 assists across his rookie season. Paul George had his season derailed by a 25-game suspension, but the nine-time All-Star played the best basketball of his Sixers tenure since returning. He posted averages of 21.0 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 2.2 steals, and shot 41.5% from beyond the three-point arc across this 10-game stretch. Kelly Oubre Jr., Andre Drummond, Adem Bona, and Quentin Grimes also play key roles in the rotation.

Philadelphia averaged 115.9 points per game across the regular season, which ranks 14th in the NBA. The Sixers also rank 17th in offensive rating, 23rd in field goal percentage, and 23rd in three-point percentage. Defensively, opponents are scoring 116.1 points per game against the 76ers, which ranks 19th in the league. Nick Nurse’s squad also ranks 16th in defensive rating, 12th in opponent field goal percentage, and 10th in opponent three-point percentage.

The Boston Celtics exceeded all expectations in a season that many expected to be a gap year. They have remained in the second seed in the East from just about start to finish this year, and managed to tread water to allow Jayson Tatum to make his return. Boston finished the year with a 56-26 overall record. The C’s went 49-33 against the spread, and the game total remained under in an NBA-leading 52 games this season.

Jaylen Brown deserves a ton of credit for the team’s success, producing a career-best season with averages of 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 5.1 assists. Tatum has not quite looked like the best version of himself just yet, shooting just 41.1% from the floor and 32.9% on three-point attempts, but is averaging 21.8 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 5.3 assists across his first 16 games played. Derrick White serves as the glue of the team, adding 16.5 points, 5.4 assists, and 4.4 rebounds per game. Payton Pritchard, Neemias Queta, Sam Hauser, and Jordan Walsh each showed some encouraging development, and the team traded to bring in Nikola Vucevic at the deadline.

Joe Mazzulla’s group is scoring 114.9 points per game this season, which ranks 19th in the NBA. The Celtics also rank second in offensive rating, 16th in field goal percentage, and eighth in three-point percentage while launching the fourth-most perimeter attempts per game. Defensively, Boston is holding teams to 107.2 points per game, which is the fewest points in the league. They also rank fourth in defensive rating, second in opponent field goal percentage, and 16th in opponent three-point percentage.

76ers vs. Celtics prediction, pick

The outlook for the series and the overall playoffs took a major hit for the Sixers following the news of Joel Embiid’s injury. Even before this, it was difficult to project what to make of this Sixers team. There were plenty of questions even before this with all the in-and-outs of the roster this year. When the team plays to its peak, you can see the vision of what this team was constructed to be. However, there is no major sample size of any of the lineup combinations that they will need to count on in this postseason.

Boston deserves a ton of credit for their level of play this year and is rightfully a major favorite in this matchup. However, the addition of Jayson Tatum shakes up their outlook a bit more than is being acknowledged. He is still working to get back to his peak level and how close he can come to accomplishing this likely dictates the Celtics’ postseason ceiling.

Boston has plenty of strengths, but has struggled a bit to slow down fast-paced guards this season. The Celtics rank last in the league in pace and will want to make this a half court battle. But expect Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe to do everything in their power to get out in transition and push the tempo. The two lit this Celtics team up for 74 combined points in the season opener, and each have taken notable strides in their development throughout the year. These teams also split their four games played across the regular season.

The Celtics are rightful favorites in this matchup, but the 12.5-point spread is a bit more than I am comfortable laying, given all the questions. If the Sixers can push the pace and speed up the style of play, this game can remain competitive. Ultimately, I am backing the game total to go over the 213.5 line.

Across the four matchups in the regular season, the game total finished at 233, 217, 202, and 212. Boston can get red-hot from beyond the three-point arc, and Philadelphia is vulnerable at defending this area of the floor. The Sixers could also pour on points in a hurry if Maxey and Edgecombe can get out in transition, and there is not a player on this Celtics roster capable of matching their speed. This opening game will tell us a lot about the matchup between these teams, but buckle up for both sides to do some damage in the scoring department and for the 213.5 total to be too low as they settle in against each other.

Best Bet: Game Total Over 213.5 (-110)