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The Boston Celtics defeated the Philadelphia 76ers in seven games in the 2023 Eastern Conference Playoffs, and the two teams will face off again when the 2026 first-round series tips off at TD Garden this afternoon.

Jaylen Brown has delivered an MVP-caliber season, and my 76ers vs. Celtics predictions expect the 2024 Finals MVP to come through with a strong performance in Game 1.

Read on to find out why I expect Brown to stuff the stat sheet in a comfortable home victory in today's NBA picks.

76ers vs Celtics prediction

Who will win 76ers vs Celtics Game 1?

Celtics:Boston’s tenacious defense and next-man-up mentality were essential in the team securing the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference. The C’s went 30-11 at home and 25-9 as the home favorite, getting the most from Jaylen Brown and a strong supporting cast. 

Philadelphia just isn’t the same team on either end of the floor with Joel Embiid out, and a Sixers team that went 8-15 as the road dog will struggle without its superstar. I’ll take Boston to win comfortably.

76ers vs Celtics best bet: Jaylen Brown Over 36.5 points + rebounds + assists (-112)

With Jayson Tatum sidelined for most of the season and key players from the Boston Celtics title run playing for new teams, Jaylen Brown asserted his dominance and delivered the best statistical campaign of his career. Brown averaged career highs in points (28.7), rebounds (6.9) and assists (5.1).

Brown finished with 37 PRA in 52 of 71 games overall, including 27 of 38 games at TD Garden. His production didn’t slip much with Tatum back in action.

Brown averaged 41.2 PRA without Tatum and 31.4 in 13 games with Tatum in the lineup. He accumulated 37+ PRA in nine of 13 games played with his superstar teammate.

Brown found success against the Philadelphia 76ers this season, averaging 38.6 PRA across four matchups. He delivered 37+ PRA twice and finished with 35 twice more.

The 76ers will be without defensive anchor Joel Embiid yet again, making this a favorable matchup for Brown. Philadelphia’s 116.5 defensive rating without Embiid would rank ninth-worst in the Association.

After a disappointing exit in the 2025 playoffs, the Celtics look primed for a deep postseason run, and their success will depend heavily on Brown’s leadership and performance.

After proving that he can be “the guy” for a contending team in the regular season, I expect Brown to carry that momentum and mindset into the playoffs and set the tone early for him and his teammates.

76ers vs Celtics same-game parlay

Philly and Boston split the four-game season series at two games apiece, but the Sixers have had a difficult time playing at TD Garden without Embiid.

In the last three games played in Boston without the big man, the 76ers were outscored by 17.3 points per game. Boston sports a +8.3 net rating at home this season, and with the team close to full strength, I’ll back them to win this one by 13+.

No team hit the Under at a higher percentage than the Boston Celtics at 63.4%. The C’s kept the score low throughout the season thanks to a bottom-5 pace and top-5 defense.

Without Embiid, the Sixers’ offensive rating dipped from 118.5 to 112.9, good for eighth-worst. Philly will have trouble scoring, and I expect Boston to make this one a slow grind.

76ers vs Celtics SGP

• Jaylen Brown Over 36.5 points + rebounds + assists
• Celtics -12.5
• Under 213.5

Our "from downtown" SGP: Puncher's chance!

Re-united and it feels so good! Both Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum are in line for big games against a vulnerable defense as they look to lead their team to another title.

Jaylen Brown finished with 26+ points in 50 of 71 games overall, including nine of 13 with Jayson Tatum in the lineup. Tatum went for 23+ points in nine of 16 games and 24+ in six of 16.

Brown’s career-best year as a facilitator should continue into the playoffs. He handed out 5+ assists in 35 of 71 appearances, and he reached that mark in eight of 13 games played with Tatum.

Tatum’s rebounding is through the roof this season, as he averaged 10 boards across 16 regular-season appearances. Tatum secured 10+ boards in 10 of 16 games and seven of nine at TD Garden. Without Embiid to patrol the paint, I expect Tatum to gobble up rebounds.

76ers vs Celtics SGP

• Jaylen Brown Over 25.5 points
• Jayson Tatum Over 23.5 points
• Jaylen Brown Over 4.5 assists
• Jayson Tatum Over 9.5 rebounds

76ers vs Celtics odds for Game 1

• Spread: Philadelphia +12.5 (-110) | Boston -12.5 (-110)
• Moneyline: Philadelphia +550 | Boston -800
• Over/Under: Over 213.5 (-110) | Under 213.5 (-110)

76ers vs Celtics betting trend to know

The Celtics have cashed the Under in 35 of their last 50 games for +18.50 units and a 34% ROI. Find more NBA betting trends for 76ers vs. Celtics.

How to watch 76ers vs Celtics Game 1

76ers vs Celtics latest injuries

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Knicks.

Hawks.

Game 1.

Let’s go!

Mike Brown

On focusing on the Knicks’ strengths:
“Obviously, you respect what you’ve done all year. The neat part about it is we’ve faced a lot of different things. We’ve faced cross-matches, we’ve faced teams playing us the same, we’ve faced zone, we’ve faced box-and-1. So to be able to have those different looks throughout the course of the year has helped us work on us. You continue to understand what your strengths are and you try to go to your strengths more than anything else while focusing on some of the things they may possibly do.”

On preparing for Hack-A-Mitch:
“We’ve talked about it. We have different things in mind that we’ll do. A lot of them will come down to time and score and feel. But we understand that’s what teams may want to do, especially if our offense is clicking at that point in time.”

On expecting cross-matches from Atlanta:
“We’ve been cross-matched all year. We imagine they’ll go to that. We faced a lot of different defenses. They may try to cross-match and they may do some things — we’ve faced a box-and-1, we’ve faced a zone. We feel like we’re prepared for anything that they throw at us, so we’re looking forward to that challenge.”

On adjusting if Alexander-Walker gets hot:
“He hit some tough shots, some amazing shots that he’s more than capable of doing. If he hits those shots again, you tip your hat off to him and you say, ‘Great job.’ Now, obviously, you have to be ready to mix in more blitzes or some of this or some of that throughout the course of the series if he’s going like that. Which we will be ready for that stuff.”

Mikal Bridges

On the intensity of playoff basketball:
“Playoffs are fun and real amped up and a lot of aggression, a lot of thinking. It’s just fun being in those games. The crowd and everything just goes up another level. So it’s always fun playing playoff games. Just trying to do whatever it takes to win.”

On raising his game in the postseason:
“I would want to. I feel like every player would want to. I just try to be the best I can be and try to do whatever it takes to help the team win.”

On sacrificing within the offensive hierarchy:
“Sacrifice for your brothers. Putting your body on the line, doing whatever it takes to make the play to help your teammates out.”

On playoff experience being part of his DNA:
“That’s kind of what I’ve known. It’s kind of my DNA.”

On learning from last season’s loss:
“I think just everything is a learning experience. Obviously, you’re not happy when you lose, especially when you’re close. But you take everything as a learning experience and build from it and learn from it.”

On ignoring outside noise:
“I think what motivates us is just trying to be the best team we can be, honestly. Not really too worried what other teams have to do or what they do, we’re just so worried about ourselves and preparing for whoever we have to play, and it’s them. So we’re just worried about preparing and that’s really it, nothing else.”

On Brown vs. Thibodeau playoff prep:
“I think they both prepare great. That’s what I take from it.”

Karl-Anthony Towns

On capitalizing on the playoff opportunity:
“It’s great that we put ourselves in this position to be in the playoffs in this position. At the end of the day, the season doesn’t mean anything if we don’t capitalize on this opportunity. You can’t look to the future, you can’t look past an opponent. You can’t do any of that. The present is the most important thing. As long as we take care of the present, the future will be taken care of.”

Josh Hart

On being judged in the playoffs:
“We made the playoffs. We had 50 wins, so that was good. We know we’re going to be judged by what we do starting now.”

Miles McBride

On the difference between Thibs’ and Brown’s coaching:
“It’s a lot more digital, I’d say.”

Tracy McGrady

On the key for the Knicks to reach the Finals:
“It starts on the defensive end. When they’re locked in and talking, they’re a different team. I’ve seen them have stretches where they look like a top five defense in the league, and that’s what it’s going to take. Good defense turns into better offense for this team. Offensively, they’ve got enough. It’s really just about balance. When Mikal gets going, it opens everything up because now you’ve got a few guys that can give you 20 any night. I like when they’ve got size on the floor too. Towns can space it, Mitch handles the paint, that’s tough to deal with.”

On what the Knicks need from Karl-Anthony Towns:
“They need discipline and presence from him in every possession. He’s too skilled to fade in and out of games. I want to see him be aggressive, not just shooting 3s, but putting pressure on the rim, making defenses react. And defensively, just be solid. Contest, rebound, and don’t put your team in tough spots with fouls.”

Kazeem Famuyide (HOT 97 Radio Host)

On boycotting Atlanta rap artists during the first-round series:
“We don’t want to hear no Atlanta artists right now. Time to show some New York solidarity.”

On New York bias vs. Atlanta bias:
“When people say I have a New York bias, it’s an issue, but if I say you have an Atlanta bias, a down south bias, that’s OK. Any time we can show love and spotlight our city, especially when we need to band tougher, why not have the same pride in New York others have (in their regions)? It’s not bias, it’s just pride.”

On not having Atlanta artists in rotation hurting the most:
“We could probably go 10 years without any Boston artists. I’d have an easier time not hearing artists from any of those cities than I would from any artists from Atlanta.”

There was one assignment heading into Friday night against the Golden State Warriors that nobody really wants. Stephen Curry in an elimination game. That’s not a comfortable place to live.

And sure, this isn’t peak Curry. He’s banged up. He’s 38. But shooters don’t age out of danger. They find ways, and he was coming off a 35-point performance against the Los Angeles Clippers, with 27 of those in the second half. Along with Al Horford, he dragged his team into position for this game. That’s the reality with Curry. You can slow him for stretches. A few minutes, a quarter, maybe even a half. But shutting him down for a full game is rare. And when the Curry Flurry starts, you feel it, brace, and try to survive it.

It wasn’t a great defensive showing against Deni Avdija and the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday for Jordan Goodwin. He’s your point of attack defender, and he got targeted. Too often, Portland got downhill without much resistance. Some of that is on him. A lot of it is on the scheme behind him. He was left on an island with no lifeboat. There was no rim presence to clean it up. That’s a tough ask against a team committed to attacking the paint, and they took advantage.

His next assignment was Stephen Curry in an elimination game against the Golden State Warriors. High leverage, high pressure, no margin. And Goodwin delivered. He brought it defensively, stayed attached, and made things uncomfortable. On the other end, he found his moments. He knocked down open threes created by the gravity around him, impacted the game on the glass (especially with his work on the offensive boards), and was a menace generating turnovers.

The final stat line jumps off the page. What Jordan Goodwin did to Stephen Curry was a master class, and a big reason the Phoenix Suns are moving on to face the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday. Curry ended scoring just 17 points on 4-of-16 from the field and 3-of-10 from deep. 16 shots to generate 17 points? You’ll take that every day of the week. In his 7:04 minutes as the primary defender, Goodwin held Curry to 1-of-6 shooting across 33.4 possessions. One made three. One assist. One turnover. That’s elite work against one of the greatest to ever do it.

Offensively, Goodwin became the guy the Suns needed. That tierary punch. Because this team isn’t built to survive on Devin Booker and Jalen Green alone. You need that third voice, an unexpected scorer. Too often this season, whether it’s Royce O’Neale, Collin Gillespie, or Grayson Allen, it hasn’t shown up consistently. But when it does, it changes everything. That’s what Goodwin was. 19 points, 7-of-11 from the field, 4-of-7 from deep.

Then there’s the rebounding. It’s wild to watch a guard that size impact the glass the way Jordan Goodwin does. But it’s been there all season. He finds angles, carves out space, and beats bigger players to the spot. He did it again Friday night, pulling down nine boards (four on the offensive end) even with size on the floor like Al Horford and Kristaps Porziņģis.

And his peskiness was on full display as well. Goodwin snagged 6 steals, which would put him in some interesting company if this game were classified as a playoff game. But it is not. It’s a Play-In game, which is like purgatory. The games don’t count towards your regular season totals, and they don’t count toward postseason. If it were a postseason stat, only 4 other Suns in the history of the franchise have had 6+ steals in a playoff game. Kyle Macy (6, 1984), Charles Barkley (7, 1993), Jason Kidd (6, 1998), and Shawn Marion (6, 2006).

“Massive at both ends. We can’t overstate his shot making, but to hold a guy like that (Stephen Curry), 3-of-10, 4-
of-16, and then we talked possession, possession, possessions, he had four offensive rebounds and six steals,” head coach Joran Ott said of Goodwin after the game. “Where he started the season to now speaks volumes about who he is and what he’s becoming as a basketball player, super excited and happy he’s on our team.”

“I think that when we are at our best is when we are being aggressive,” Goodwin stated in the post-game presser. “Just go out there and try to set the tone on the defensive end, I know we got the guys who will set it on the offensive end. I am just trying to get us going a bit, get the ball in transition, get them guys going. Definitely just hanging my hat on it, taking on whatever matchup I got, just trying to do my best to make it difficult out there.”

It’s not about the size of the dog in the fight. It’s about the size of the fight in the dog. Jordan Goodwin embodies that. He brings everything he has, every possession. He’s undersized, sure. But the impact is undeniable. What he did against the Golden State Warriors on Friday night went beyond the box score. It helped put an overachieving team into the postseason, which allows us to feel great about this season. Because of that effort, we get more time. More games. More chances to evaluate what this Phoenix Suns team can be.

It was a good night for Goodwin. It was a great night for Phoenix.

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After running the table in the NBA Play-In, the Phoenix Suns are back in the playoffs, but standing in their way is the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder.

My Suns vs. Thunder predictions expect OKC to dominate Sunday's series opener, fueled by another standout performance from their reigning MVP.

Read more in our NBA picks for April 19.

Our best Suns vs Thunder SGP for Game 1

Before resting their players for the final week of the regular season, the Oklahoma City Thunder were clicking.

The Thunder had won seven straight contests, going 5-2 ATS before their skeleton crew dropped the last two regular-season contests. OKC is also 8-2 SU in its last 10 head-to-head matchups against the Phoenix Suns. 

Expect the Under to cash, as Phoenix won’t be trying to speed things up — they capped off the season ranked 24th in pace. Meanwhile, the Thunder turned up the defensive pressure in the postseason last year.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been an MVP performer against the Suns this season, averaging 30 points per game and hitting half of his 3-point attempts. SGA also shot 51% on 2-pointers, an area where the Suns were weak this season, allowing opponents to shoot 56% from inside the arc.

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.

Hey there, Planeteers, we are back and dove into the two play-in games for the Phoenix Suns that helped them secure the eight seed. We also looked into the matchup against OKC, but mainly discussed our appreciation for this team and some of its players who have really shone. We hope you are as excited as we are about having at least four more games of Suns basketball to break down!

In an alternate universe, the first round NBA playoff series between the Los Angeles Lakers and Houston Rockets would be a star-studded affair, pitting some of the best in the game in an all-out slugfest. In reality, it now looks more like a triage center with most of the stars sidelined with injuries.

Late-season dings to hamstrings, obliques, and knees mean the opening salvo out west could be without Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves and the previously healthy Kevin Durant (questionable). That's potentially three stars watching Game 1 from the sidelines.

For the Lakers, that means being severely depleted in a series that now rests on the shoulders of the man who wears the crown. LeBron James (41) has been beating Father Time with Reaves and Doncic on the shelf, going 23 points and 9.2 assists over the last five games, helping the Lakers close out the season with three consecutive wins.

Here is what to know about the Lakers' injuries as they enter the series vs Houston:

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Our NBA player prop projections are locked in for tonight’s Game 1 showdown between the Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers, with the model highlighting several high-value spots across the board.

By breaking down the data and comparing it to current market lines, we’ve pinpointed where the strongest edges appear.

These Rockets vs. Lakers predictions aren’t based on narrative or intuition—they’re driven by the numbers.

If you’re building out your card, here are the model’s top NBA picks for Saturday, April 18.

Rockets vs Lakers computer picks for April 18

Rockets	Lakers
Durant o24.5 points  -110	James u25.5 points  -115
Thompson o5.5 assists  +110	Ayton u7.5 rebounds +100
Sengun u9.5 rebounds -130	Hachimura o1.5 3-pointers -150

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Rockets computer picks

Kevin Durant Over 24.5 points (-110)

Projection: 26.09 points

Kevin Durant has continued to defy Father Time all season, and with another playoff run underway for the Houston Rockets, he looks more than ready to elevate his game once again.

He’s cleared this 23.5-point line in eight of his last 10 games, showing consistent scoring form at a high level.

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Amen Thompson Over 5.5 assists (+110)

Projection: 5.5 assists

Amen Thompson has quietly settled into a steady facilitation role, clearing this 5.5 assists line in six of his last 10 games by consistently making the right reads within Houston’s offense.

He also benefits from Houston’s pace and athleticism, which naturally increases possessions and transition chances. If the Rockets push tempo and attack early in the shot clock, Thompson should find plenty of chances to rack up easy assists in semi-transition and broken-floor sets.

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Alperen Sengun Under 9.5 rebounds (-130)

Projection: 8.4 rebounds

The Rockets rank best in the league this season with 15.0 offensive rebounds per game, but Alperen Sengun could still find himself on the lower end of the rebounding line tonight.

He’s gone Under this 9.5-rebound mark in seven of his last 10 games, making it a tougher spot to trust him to consistently clear the number.

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Lakers computer picks

LeBron James Under 25.5 points (-115)

Projection: 22.7 points

Opposing starting power forwards have struggled from beyond the arc against the Houston Rockets this season, shooting just 21.7% from three—the lowest mark in the NBA.

That sets up as a difficult matchup for LeBron James, who will be forced to carry a heavier offensive load in order to clear this points prop tonight.

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Deandre Ayton Under 7.5 rebounds (+100)

Projection: 6.9 rebounds

The Los Angeles Lakers rank as the second-worst offensive rebounding team in the NBA this season, and Deandre Ayton hasn’t been much of a factor on the glass lately.

He’s gone under this 8.5-rebound line in seven of his last 10 games, making it tough to trust him to consistently hit the Over.

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Rui Hachimura Over 1.5 3-pointers (-150)

Projection: 1.9 3-pointers

The Lakers have been elite from beyond the arc at home, knocking down 39.0% of their three-point attempts—third-best in the league over their last 25 games.

This matchup against Houston further boosts that outlook. When the Rockets are on the road, opposing starting small forwards have averaged the third-most made threes in the league (2.4 per game), putting Rui Hachimura in a strong position to capitalize and clear this Over.

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How to watch Rockets vs Lakers today

Location	Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, CA
Date	Saturday, April 18, 2026
Tip-off	8:30 p.m. ET
TV	ABC, TSN4

Not intended for use in MA.
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The Cleveland Cavaliers will look to begin the playoffs on the right foot as they take on the Toronto Raptors in Game 1 of the first round.

Share your thoughts as the game unfolds. If you aren’t a member of the community, sign up so you can talk to your fellow Cavalier fans and make your voice heard!

Go Cavs!