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Former NBA player and coach Damon Jones has requested to change his plea to guilty after he was charged with wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering and accused of sharing and selling insider information about undisclosed details of NBA games on numerous occasions.

Jones' change-of-plea request was noted in a court filing on April 16, obtained by USA TODAY Sports, and the date for him to officially appear before a judge was not disclosed.

Jones originally pleaded not guilty to those charges on Nov. 6 at a federal courthouse in Brooklyn, New York.

According to prosecutors, Jones gave NBA lineup decisions and pre-released medical information to his co-conspirators, who then placed significant wagers based on the tips. The medical information allegedly involved LeBron James and Anthony Davis, who were playing for the Los Angeles Lakers at the time.

Before a Lakers game against the Milwaukee Bucks on Feb. 9, 2023, authorities say Jones texted a co-conspirator, alerting them to bet on the Bucks before the injury statuses of both teams were released. James ended up not playing in the game because of a lower-body injury, and Los Angeles went on to lose the game 115-105

Jones, who played 11 NBA seasons for 10 teams from 1999 to 2009, is also accused of using his notoriety to get people to poker games rigged by organized crime figures in order to steal money from them, sometimes using technology, including poker chip trays with hidden cameras, and rigged shuffling machines with the ability to read the cards in the deck.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Damon Jones Ex-NBA player to plead guilty in betting, gambling scandal

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The Charlotte Hornets were one of the hottest teams in the home stretch of the schedule and are one win away from securing the No. 8 seed in the East when they take on the Orlando Magic in the NBA Play-In Tournament.

If you’re cheering on Charlotte Friday night, I’ve got a pro-Hornets same game parlay to add a little buzz to your betting action.

Here are my best NBA SGP picks and predictions for Hornets vs. Magic on April 17.

Our best Hornets vs Magic SGP for April 17

The Charlotte Hornets were 18-9 SU in the second half of the season and showed grit in their Play-In win over Miami on Tuesday. Charlotte has been one of the best two-way teams since the All-Star break and boast a 13-3 SU mark as road favorites this season.

Rookie sensation Kon Knueppel would like to put his postseason debut in the past. While he couldn’t connect from deep Tuesday – and may not get much more versus the Magic’s defense – Knueppel’s playmaking is being undervalued. His projections flirt with four assists Friday.

Brandon Miller is a constant offensive engine for Charlotte. He dropped 25 and 20 points in his last two run-ins with Orlando and Friday’s forecasts call for as many as 22.5 points from the Hornets small forward.

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

Los Angeles Lakers' Luka Doncic and Detroit Pistons' Cade Cunningham are eligible to win NBA end-of-season awards after successful appeals.

Traditionally, players must feature in a minimum of 65 regular season games to be eligible, but Cunningham played 63 and Doncic played 64.

Doncic, 27, and Cunningham, 24, both lodged challenges to the rule due to "extraordinary circumstances".

Cunningham missed 12 games with a collapsed lung, while Doncic missed two for the birth of his daughter in Slovenia - both reasons were cited by the NBA as part of the exemptions.

The ruling means that they are now in contention for awards including MVP and All-NBA teams.

Doncic has scored a league-high 2,143 points during the regular season to help the Lakers reach the play-offs and was recently named as the player to sell the most shirts across Europe and the Middle East.

Cunningham ranks second in the league for assists (634), with the Pistons also through to the play-offs as they sit top of the Eastern Conference.

Meanwhile, Anthony Edwards of the Minnesota Timberwolves played 60 games but was denied his appeal to be given allowance.

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Whether you’re saddling up the urinal, putting on a one-man show, or making your NBA postseason debut, stage fright is hell.

Just ask Charlotte Hornets rookie sensation Kon Knueppel, who suddenly forgot how to shoot in Tuesday’s Play-In Tournament win after a record-setting first season in the pros.

Knueppel came out ice cold from beyond the arc and couldn’t find his way in the offense, eventually getting the hook late in the game.

Our Hornets vs. Magic predictions won’t discount the Duke product too much in Friday’s Play-In finale but my NBA picks take a different way to wager on Knueppel’s contributions.

Hornets vs Magic prediction

Hornets vs Magic best bet: Kon Knueppel Over 2.5 Assists (-115)

The Charlotte Hornets’ star rookie had a rotten postseason debut, finishing 2-for-12 from the field including a goose egg on six attempts beyond the arc. 

What’s more disappointing, Kon Knueppel couldn’t find other ways to contribute and found himself on the bench in crunch time. He logged just six minutes in the fourth quarter and extra frame Tuesday.

While all eyes go to his chilly shooting performance, Knueppel also recorded just one assist in the OT win over the Miami Heat and generated only two potential assists over his 34 minutes.

On the season, Knueppel has averaged almost 3.5 assists on 6.3 potential dimes per game. Before the Play-In, he had dished out three or more assists in four of the final five games of the schedule, including two five dime showings.

The Hornets need more from Knueppel than long range chucks if they’re going to punch their ticket to the playoffs Friday. In the two most recent matchups with the Orlando Magic, Knueppel dished out four assists in each outing – both one-sided wins for Charlotte. 

With the Magic boasting one of the tighter perimeter defenses (33.8% - third lowest since the break) and the fourth lowest 3-point attempts against, Knueppel will find himself making the extra pass rather than letting it fly from deep.

His player projections for Friday’s win-and-in contest sit north of three assists and this total of 2.5 O/U is just the fourth time in the past 11 games that his assist prop has been this low.

Hornets vs Magic same-game parlay

The Hornets are on the road but have the rest and prep edge due to the East Play-In schedule getting flipped in Philadelphia. Charlotte showed an ability to adapt to off-games from its stars and never stopped fighting in the win over Miami. 

If Knueppel isn’t getting his looks from long range, Brandon Miller picks up the slack. He’s been electric for the Hornets and is forecasted for as many as 22.5 points on Friday. Miller has scored 25 and 20 in his last two matchups with the Magic.

Hornets vs Magic SGP

• Hornets moneyline
• Kon Knueppel Over 2.5 assists
• Brandon Miller Over 19.5 points

Our "from downtown" SGP: Wrath of Kon

The rookie has something to prove after laying an egg in his first taste of tournament action and must find other ways to impact the game beyond 3-pointers.

Knueppel’s projections call for as many as six rebounds and four assists in the Play-In finale, which could turn into a low-scoring slog. A slower pace of play and a lack of perimeter points will keep this final below the total.

Hornets vs Magic SGP

• Hornets -3.5
• Under 218.5
• Kon Knueppel Over 2.5 assists
• Kon Knueppel Over 5.5 rebounds

Hornets vs Magic odds

• Spread: Charlotte -3.5 | Orlando +3.5
• Moneyline: Charlotte -170 | Orlando +145
• Over/Under: Over 218.5 | Under 218.5

Hornets vs Magic betting trend to know

The Hornets are 13-3 SU and 9-7 ATS as road favorites this season. Find more NBA betting trends for Hornets vs. Magic.

How to watch Hornets vs Magic

Hornets vs Magic latest injuries

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The final weeks of the regular season are when the top teams visibly turn their attention to the postseason. They know who they are and what their identity will be in the playoffs. Unless the team is vying for a higher seeding, you will see a visible dip in play for the final weeks.

The Cleveland Cavaliers were one of those teams that could not adopt this mentality. The team underwent a constant need for change due to injuries, transactions, and troubleshooting.

Now, this in itself isn’t the reason to discount this team from true championship contention. It takes a deeper look, looking past just wins and losses, and more so, the manner in which this team wins its games. Is there something that is a viable blueprint for the intensive style that the playoffs demand?

I know the comment section is going to be riddled with “the team won 50+ games despite all hurdles in their way.” I think this line of thinking is setting fans up to believe that there is another gear left in this team. The Cavaliers have shown us who they are, even without all personnel being healthy. I don’t think this team’s faults are going to be all fixed with a healthy roster.

The Cavaliers’ biggest issue is that their effort hasn’t been there all season. Now, in the regular season, they can coast by due to their massive talent advantage on most nights. Look closely at wins and how those came to be for the Cavaliers. Very rarely, if ever, did the Cavaliers rise to the challenge and shut off the opponent’s water. Instead, this team lives and dies by outscoring opponents, even as those opponents move the ball and score with relative ease.

How many times have we had the players, coaches, or even the media call out the effort, or lack thereof, from this team? More than any supposed championship caliber team should. The lack of meeting the call to action is another problem.

For all of the great work head coach Kenny Atkinson has done this year with putting together a puzzle with different pieces night after night, the one problem he hasn’t been able to solve is the Cavaliers’ willingness to compete on the defensive end.

Defense in the NBA is inseparable from effort because it requires constant physical and mental engagement on every possession. This is dialed up to an eleven in the postseason. Each possession feels almost like a game within itself. Unlike offense, where players can rely on skill or pick their moments, defense demands sustained intensity whether its staying in front of opponents, fighting through screens, rotating on time, and contesting shots all hinge on how hard a player is willing to work.

Since the beginning of March, the Cavaliers have gone 15-6. While that would lead one to the inclination that the team found some level of consistency on the defensive end. It becomes less reassuring that, in that stretch, only four of those teams were top-six playoff seeds (Celtics, Lakers, Hawks twice, and Pistons). Not only can you question the caliber of the opponent, but also whether defense was played at all. In those games, the Cavs surrendered 110 points or more regularly to the likes of the Memphis Grizzlies (126), Miami Heat (128 and 120), Orlando Magic (131 and 128), and the Dallas Mavericks (130).

Due to the areas in which the Toronto Raptors excel, fastbreaks and driving to the basket, it feels like the team will be a good stress test for the Cavaliers. The Raptors, if they were to give the Cavaliers a hard time, would be winning games from the extra effort they exert on every possession. The Cavaliers will have to match that energy with the pace of play the Raptors will try to instill. While the talent gap may be able to cover some effort deficiencies in round 1, the Pistons, Knicks, or Celtics will not grant those same luxuries. You would rather they buy into sustained effort early so they don’t get sucker punched in round 2 and onward.

This feels far from a flip-the-switch scenario. Effort isn’t something you can turn on and off; it’s a standard you establish, and the Cavaliers haven’t consistently shown that standard on defense. Their defensive inconsistencies aren’t just schematic; they stem from a recurring lack of effort, which has shown up too often to ignore.

When a team spends the regular season coasting defensively and relying on talent to outscore opponents, it’s difficult to suddenly manufacture the discipline, urgency, and cohesion required in a playoff environment. If the mentalities nurtured and ingrained from playing the Wizards and Grizzlies of the world seep into their postseason play, the Cavaliers’ season will be over sooner rather than later.

Lakers guard Luka Doncic will be eligible for postseason awards after the NBA and NBA Players Assn. announced Thursday they ruled in his favor on his extraordinary circumstances appeal of the 65-game rule.

Doncic, a leading candidate for most valuable player and a lock for his sixth All-NBA team, played in only 64 games before he suffered a regular-season ending left hamstring injury on April 2. The league's latest collective bargaining agreement requires players to appear in at least 65 games to be eligible for postseason awards, but Doncic and Detroit Pistons star Cade Cunningham both won appeals under the CBA’s extraordinary circumstances provision.

Doncic missed two games in December to attend the birth of his daughter in Slovenia and Cunningham, whose career season led the Pistons to the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference, missed 12 games because of a collapsed lung suffered on March 17.

“I am grateful to the NBPA for advocating on my behalf and to the NBA for their fair decision,” Doncic wrote in a statement on social media. “It was so important to me to be present for the birth of my daughter in December and I appreciate Mark [Walter], Jeanie [Buss], Rob [Pelinka], JJ [Redick], and the entire Lakers organization for fully supporting me and allowing me to travel to be there."

Doncic earned his second league scoring title this season with 33.5 points per game. He surged back into the most valuable player race with a magical March when he was just the second player to score 600 points in March, joining Michael Jordan. He had four consecutive games of 40 or more points and 12 of 30 or more before injuring his hamstring on April 2. He and guard Austin Reaves (oblique) are out indefinitely as the Lakers begin the playoffs Saturday against the Houston Rockets.

Read more:Deandre Ayton knows the Lakers need him to be his best in the playoffs

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

NEW YORK (AP) — Luka Dončić and Cade Cunningham are eligible for awards despite the 65-game rule, NBA and players' association decide.

The end for an NBA coach can be brutal and sudden, even for teams that make the playoffs. Last year, twoplayoff teams even got rid of their coach right before the postseason began. It's not the profession for those seeking job security.

No such turmoil occurred to close the 2025-26 NBA regular season, but there is nonetheless a group of coaches still coaching as of Thursday, April 16 that could be fired soon if the high-stakes games of the 2026 NBA playoffs don't go their way.

A team's playoff ledger relative to expectations often supersedes the number of wins accrued over the months-long slog preceding the postseason. Those that fall short under these bright lights are eventually discarded, and NBA coaches have traditionally been among the most dispensable.

Here are five coaches currently in the NBA's postseason who are on the hot seat, especially if their team were to suffer an early exit from the playoffs:

NBA PLAY IN WINNERS, LOSERS: Steph Curry shows he's still great

1. Jamahl Mosley, Orlando Magic

The fifth-year coach could be coaching for his job when the Magic face the Charlotte Hornets to close out the Eastern Conference play-in tournament. Even a first-round exit to the top-seeded Detroit Pistons might lead to Mosley's firing after a disjointed season in which the trio of Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner and Desmond Bane struggled to gel together offensively. Orlando spent four first-round draft picks on Bane last offseason to be a contender, not relegated to play-in fodder, and Mosley might pay the price in the days ahead.

2. Tiago Splitter, Portland Trail Blazers

The interim Blazers coach isn't on this list because of his performance. He just led Portland to its first playoff appearance since 2021 after starting the season with coach Chauncey Billups arrested following the first game as part of federal indictments related to illegal gambling. But new owner Tom Dundon has not committed to hiring Splitter, nor officially parted ways with Billups, and it will make for a complicated situation whenever the Blazers' season ends.

3. Ime Udoka, Houston Rockets

Among NBA teams to qualify for the postseason, only the Charlotte Hornets had a worse crunch time NET rating during the regular season than the Rockets. Despite the addition of Kevin Durant last offseason, their halfcourt offense has devolved at key moments and Udoka has thus far not adjusted well to the flaws or the absence of injured point guard Fred Van Vleet. Losing in the first round to the injury-riddled Los Angeles Lakers would mean Houston dropped a series in which it almost certainly got out-coached given the personnel discrepancies.

4. Mike Brown, New York Knicks

Brown is only in his first season with the Knicks and the team finished with two more regular-season wins than it did a year ago under former coach Tom Thibodeau. But the expectations are high in New York. A first-round exit against the Atlanta Hawks, combined with the reality that Brown was not the top choice for Knicks' brass to begin with last offseason, could lead to a quick change on the bench.

5. Nick Nurse, Philadelphia 76ers

Nurse hasn't succeeded with the Sixers like he once did with the Toronto Raptors, in large part because of injuries and roster construction. Getting out of the play-in tournament after a bounce-back regular season might be enough to give Nurse another year, particularly since Paul George and Joel Embiid again missed large chunks of the season. But Nurse would probably be wise to not get swept by the Celtics in the first round, just to be safe.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NBA playoff coach hot seat rankings: Why these coaches can't lose quick

Down in South Philadelphia last night, the crowd filled in slowly for the Sixers’ Play-In Tournament matchup with the Magic. Blame traffic concerns if you’d like given that the Phillies were hosting a game across the street too and the simple fact that it was a weeknight. Sitting at Xfinity Mobile Arena before tipoff, both levels of the stands were fairly dead. Would the fan base lay an egg for this one? I couldn’t blame them much if that was the case.

The Sixers were playing for the right to be the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference and likely lose to the Celtics in the postseason for the sixth time this century. Joel Embiid was sidelined as he recovers from surgery for appendicitis while his timetable for returning to the court remains unclear. The promises of the Process and those first handful of playoff runs in the Embiid era have evaporated. Most people in this city are bitter about the team, or, even worse, apathetic.

Things, however, shifted as the game progressed. The arena filled up. People were decked out in jerseys from across the decades for the franchise, from Julius Erving to Allen Iverson to even a lingering Dario Šarić that I saw. Fans fed off the energy of the Sixers’ dynamic backcourt duo of Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe. By the time Andre Drummond, the unsung hero of the evening, nailed a three-pointer with under a minute to go in the first half, the crowd popped. It was as if the clock turned back to a time where anything was possible for the direction of the Sixers as unlimited possibilities were staring at us for the next decade.

I remember being there for the Sixers’ first post-Process playoff game against the Heat in 2018. It may have only been six years since the last time the Sixers were in the postseason, but it felt closer to 60. The Sixers torched Miami in the 27-point victory as vets Marco Belinelli and Ersan İlyasova went supernova off the bench and rookie sensation Ben Simmons dished out 14 assists. It was everything I had dreamed of playing out in front of my own eyes.

I’m a Sixers pessimist. That has been abundantly clear for a while, likely dating back to the team’s 2021 collapse against Atlanta that I’ve never fully recovered from in terms of my fandom. Still, it’s nice to get wrapped up in something bigger than ourselves, right? That’s how it felt watching this team pull out that win. Roaring after yet another improbable Drummond three near the end of the fourth quarter that padded the Sixers’ lead with 20,000 people is what it’s all about.

This all may be fleeting. I am not entertaining a miraculous upset of the Celtics in the coming days. I also imagine quite a few Boston fans, both those from the New England area and the disgusting locals who root for them, will be present and diminish the Sixers’ home court energy. At the very least, this win over Orlando was a call back to what makes playoff basketball so special for the fans in attendance and, maybe, just maybe, a harbinger of brighter days for the franchise in the future (maybe the distant future…).

ATLANTA (AP) — Atlanta Hawks center Jock Landale will miss at least the first two weeks of the NBA playoffs because of his sprained right ankle.

Landale averaged 9.1 points and 4.1 rebounds in 23 regular-season games with Atlanta. He sustained a high ankle sprain on April 1 at Orlando. The Hawks say he “is progressing in his rehabilitation” and “will be re-evaluated in approximately two weeks.” An update is expected after his re-evaluation.

Atlanta is the No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs and opens its first-round series at the third-seeded New York Knicks on Saturday.

The Hawks addressed a lack of depth at center — Kristaps Porzingis has been unavailable much of the season and N’Faly Dante is out for the year — by acquiring Landale from Utah for cash considerations in early February. He never played for the Jazz and was with them less than a day after being part of an eight-player trade involving Memphis.

The 30-year-old Landale averaged 11.3 points and 6.5 rebounds in 45 games for Memphis.

The Australian is in his fifth NBA season. He made his NBA debut with San Antonio in the 2021-22 season and also has played for Phoenix and Houston.

___

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba

The Boston Celtics are going to be facing off against the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round of the playoffs this season after they beat the Orlando Magic 109-97 in the Play-In Tournament. This is the 23rd time that Boston and Philadelphia have faced off against each other, the most in NBA playoff history.

The Celtics have an all time playoff record of 66-50 against the 76ers that dates back to when Philadelphia went by the Syracuse Nationals in the 1950s. Boston is 15-7 all time in playoff series against Philadelphia, dominating the matchup especially in recent memory.

We meet again 😤 pic.twitter.com/cX7DaDHcxx

— Boston Celtics (@celtics) April 16, 2026

2026 Regular Season Series

Before we take a trip down memory lane, lets look at the 2026 regular season matchups between Boston and Philadelphia where they split the season series. The first matchup was all the way back to Opening Night on October 22nd where Philly beat Boston 117-116 in TD Garden. Tyrese Maxey led the way with 40 point alongside one of the best rookie debut performances in NBA History from VJ Edgecombe who dropped 34 points. Boston was led by Jaylen Brown and Derrick White who had 25 points each and the Celtics almost won if the game winning shot by Payton Pritchard went in at the final buzzer.

Game 2 was was only nine days on October 31st where Jaylen Brown gave the city of Philadelphia a Halloween fright, dropping 32 points in a 109-108 win for Boston on the road. This game was almost the opposite of Opening Night where it was Joel Embiid who missed the game wining three at the buzzer after Quinten Grimes dribbled out the shot clock. Anfernee Simons had a great game for Boston off the bench with 19 points while Maxey led the way for the 76ers with 26 points.

Boston played their third game against Philadelphia only eleven days later on November 11th where it finished as another close game, this time the 76ers winning 102-100 at home. Kelly Oubre Jr was the hero for Philly with a game winning put-back layup with 8.7 seconds to go and a Derrick White half court heave at the buzzer just missed. This was also known as the “Justin Edwards Game” where he led the 76ers with 22 points on 8-9 shooting from the field and 5-6 shooting from three. Jaylen Brown led the Celtics with 24 points but it wasn’t enough.

The final game of the season series didn’t come until four months later where on March 1st, Boston beat Philadelphia 114-98 in TD Garden, the biggest margin of victory between these teams all year. It was a close game with under three minutes to go in the fourth quarter before the Celtics rattled off an 11-1 run to close it out. This was the Neemias Queta Legacy Game where he dropped a career high 27 points and 17 rebounds on 10-14 shooting, dominating the 76ers underneath the basket. Brown also finished with 27 points for Boston while Maxey led the way with 33 points for Philadelphia.

Early Years: Celtics vs Nationals/76ers (1953-1969)

Back in the day when there was only 8 to 9 teams in the NBA, the Celtics and Nationals would face off almost every season from 1953-1961. In that time frame Boston had the upper hand in this matchup with a record of 15-13 in 7 different matchups in this span.

In 1953 we saw the Celtics sweep the Nationals in the first round in a three game series behind 50 points from Bob Cousy on 10-22 shooting and 30-32 from the free throw line in a Game 2 that had four overtimes. Syracuse would respond by winning the next three series from 1954-1956. Two of these matchups came in what is now the conference finals and ending in a championship in 1955.

Boston came back in 1957 in the first five game series of this matchup, sweeping the Nationals in the first playoff series of Bill Russell’s career. After taking down Syracuse, Boston made their first NBA Finals where they won win their first championship in franchise history over the St. Louis Hawks. Little did we know this would start the greatest dynasty in NBA history.

Boston faced off against Syracuse two more times in 1959 and 1961 ending in Celtics victories and two more championships. The Nationals would leave Syracuse in 1963 and move to the City of Brotherly Love, now called the Philadelphia 76ers and trading for a superstar named Wilt Chamberlain.

The rebrand did not change their luck against the Celtics however, as Boston beat them four times in five years from 1965-1969. The one time Philadelphia beat Boston was in 1967 where they won the championship but the other four times ended in the Celtics winning it all.

Lull Period: Celtics vs 76ers (1977)

Boston was in the process of restarting their dynasty in the mid-70s, winning the championship in 1974 and 1976 but didn’t face Philadelphia at all in this time. The 76ers on the other hand were struggling post losing Wilt Chamberlain but just acquired Julius Erving ahead of the 1977 season. This did wonders for Philly as they were back in real playoff contention and met Boston in the second round of the playoffs in 1977.

This series went all 7 games with Dave Cowens and John Havlicek doing their best to lead Boston while Erving dominated for Philadelphia. In Game 7, it was a close game but ended with the 76ers beating the Celtics in a playoff series for the first time since 1967. World B. Free led the way for Philadelphia with 27 points off the bench while Cowens struggled with only 11 points on 5-16 shooting. The 76ers went on to make the NBA Finals in 1977, losing to the Portland Trail Blazers in 6 games.

This was the end of the Celtics dynasty of the 70s but it was just the beginning of them seeing the 76ers in the playoffs on a yearly basis once the 1980s began.

Bird Years: Celtics vs 76ers (1980-1985)

The Celtics had a brand new star to lead them back to glory in the 80’s and his name was Larry Bird. Bird’s rookie year in 1980 saw him win Rookie of the Year and lead Boston back to the playoffs. After sweeping the Houston Rockets in the first round, Bird lead the Celtics into his first matchup against the 76ers in the second round of the 1980 playoffs. Sadly, Philadelphia would win the series in 5 games and 76ers would make the NBA Finals, losing to the Los Angels Lakers.

Boston would respond to this loss in 1981 by beating the 76ers in the Eastern Conference Finals in 7 game series. Larry Bird led the way with 23 points in Game 7 and the Celtics would take down the Houston Rockets in the NBA Finals for their 14th championship. Philadelphia came back in 1982 and blew out Boston in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals, once again losing to the Lakers in the Finals. Hopefully, the 76ers would enjoy this victory over Boston because it would be the last time they beat the Celtics in a playoff series.

The Celtics wouldn’t play the 76ers in the playoffs again until 1985 where Boston dominated Philly, winning the Eastern Conference Finals in 5 games but losing to the Lakers in the NBA Finals. Boston wouldn’t play Philadelphia again for another 17 years, bringing the rivalry into the 21st century.

Pierce Years: Celtics vs 76ers (2002-2012)

The 90s were a rough decade for the Celtics but one positive that came out of it was drafting Paul Pierce and Antoine Walker to be stars of the future. The duo made their first playoff appearance together in 2002 and faced off against the 76ers in the First Round. They would destroy the 2001 Eastern Conference Champion 76ers led by Allen Iverson, winning the series in 5 games. Pierce went nuclear in Game 5, where he dropped 46 points on 16-25 shooting while Walker finished with 26 points on 11-22 shooting.

The Celtics would ride this momentum to an Eastern Conference Finals appearance after beating the Pistons in 5 games in the Second Round before losing to the New Jersey Nets in 5 Games. The Nets would go on to get swept by the Lakers in the NBA Finals.

Paul Pierce wouldn’t face off against the 76ers again until the Second Round in the 2012 Playoffs and a lot had changed in a decade. He was the Finals MVP in the Celtics 2008 NBA Championship with new co-stars in Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett and Rajon Rondo. However, this was the Last Dance for this iteration of the Celtics and they faced off against a scrappy 76ers team who made it past the Chicago Bulls after Derrick Rose tore his ACL. They were led by All-Star Andre Iguodala and a young core of guys like Jrue Holiday, Evan Turner, and Lou Williams.

In theory this should have been an easy series for the Celtics to win but the 76ers put up a fight, forcing a Game 7 back in TD Garden after trading wins through the first six games. In that Game 7 the new core of Celtics were able to squash the 76ers Cinderella story, led by Kevin Garnett and Rajon Rondo who scored 18 points. Boston advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals but had a similar result from 2002, losing to the Big 3 Miami Heat in 7 games.

This would be the end of an era in Celtics history as Allen left to join the Heat in the offseason while Pierce and Garnett got traded to the Brooklyn Nets in 2013. Little did we know that the draft picks from this trade would bring the next iteration of stars to the rivalry.

The Jays Years: Celtics vs 76ers (2018-2023)

We have reached the Modern Day in Celtics History, with the team now being led by Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, they had to continue the tradition of their first playoff series coming against the Philadelphia 76ers. In the Second Round in 2018, the Celtics faced off against the 76ers young core of Joel Embiid and Rookie of the Year Ben Simmons.

Boston was not favored since they lost their stars Gordon Hayward and Kyrie Irving but that did not stop their young group from beating Philadelphia in 5 games. In that Game 5 we saw a glimpse of the future, with Tatum leading the way with 25 points on 8-15 shooting while Brown finished with 24 points on 10-13 shooting. This overachieving Boston Celtics team would advance to the Eastern Conference Finals where they would lose to the LeBron James led Cleveland Cavaliers in 7 games.

Boston would face off against Philadelphia again in the NBA Bubble, in the First Round of the 2020 Playoffs. This is sort of a footnote in the rivalry with the Celtics sweeping the 76ers. Simmons was out for the entire series and that led Embiid to try and carry the load by himself. The Celtics blew them out through three games before Kemba Walker dropped 32 points in Game 4 to win the series. The Celtics would once again make it to the Eastern Conference Finals after taking down the Toronto Raptors in 7 games in the Second Round but ran out of gas and lost to the Jimmy Butler led Miami Heat in 6 games. Miami would end up losing in the NBA Finals to the Los Angeles Lakers in 6 games.

The most recent matchup of the Celtics vs 76ers rivalry came in the Second Round of the 2023 Playoffs and that was the best series of the Jays era so far. It went all 7 games, starting with Boston losing Game 1 at home behind 45 points from James Harden. The Celtics won the next two games before dropping the next two to go down 3-2 in the series with Game 6 on the road and this is where Jayson Tatum would cement his playoff legacy.

Tatum was awful to start Game 6, shooting 1-13 through three quarters before dropping 16 points in the fourth quarter on 4-8 shooting to lead Boston to the win. This set the stage for the main event of Game 7 back in TD Garden with the season on the line. Jayson Tatum would proceed to break the record for points in a Game 7, dropping 51 points on 17-28 shooting from the field and 6-10 from three to lead the Celtics to a blowout victory over the 76ers to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals. Once advancing to the Conference Finals, the Celtics would lose another series to the Heat, this time in a heart breaking Game 7. Miami would lose in the NBA Finals to the Denver Nuggets in 5 games.

2026 Playoff Prediction

After going over the very long and extensive playoff history between the Boston Celtics and the Philadelphia 76ers it is now time to make my prediction for how the 2026 First Round series is going to go. The 76ers are a very dangerous team going into this series.

Joel Embiid might be out but Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecobe are a scary combination to face after they combined for 50 points against the Orlando Magic in the Play-In Game. Paul George is also back from his suspension early in the season and could also be a difference maker as a third option in this series. Philadelphia’s depth also has potential to help with Kelly Oubre Jr and Andre Drummond being solid support pieces.

The one thing that the Celtics have that the 76ers don’t is Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum. For years teams have had a hard time finding an answer to guard both of them and the Jays are playing some of their best basketball going into the playoffs. Philly’s center depth could also cause them some issues, leading to potentially a ton of drives by Boston to the basket and easy points for a guy like Neemias Queta. Payton Pritchard, Derrick White, and Sam Hauser also have the chance to light up the 76ers from deep and we’ve seen Baylor Scheirman and Jordan Walsh play some great defense against tough competition.

My Final Prediction: Celtics Win the Series in 5 games. For as much as I respect Maxey and Edgecombe, I think Boston is just the better team and have too much firepower for Philadelphia to handle. I think the 76ers might be able to steal a win in this series but the Celtics should be able to win this series in a Gentleman’s Sweep.