The Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics clash for Game 5 of their first-round series on Tuesday, April 28 at 7:00 p.m. ET on ESPN. The Celtics enter as 12.5-point favorites on the spread, via PrizePicks.
After dropping Game 2 at home, the Celtics responded by winning both Game 3 and Game 4 in Philly to return home with a 3-1 series lead. Will Boston finish out the series and advance to the Eastern Conference Semifinals for the fifth straight year?
Below, we’ll break down our 76ers vs. Celtics prediction and picks for Tuesday’s NBA Playoff game, including the spread, over/under, and key player picks for PrizePicks.
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76ers vs. Celtics Prediction, Spread, Over/Under – Tuesday, April 28
In the first two games of the series, the teams flip-flopped, as the Celtics dominated Game 1 by holding the 76ers to 39% shooting and 91 total points. Philly rebounded in Game 2 by going 19-of-39 on 3-pointers and shooting 48% from the field in an upset win.
Since then, it’s been all Boston as the Celtics averaged 118 points in the two games in Philadelphia and limited the 76ers to 98.0 PPG. The 76ers are dead last of the 16 postseason teams, averaging 99.5 PPG and sitting in the bottom half in scoring efficiency.
Not even the return of C Joel Embiid (appendectomy) changed the 76ers' offensive fortunes in Game 4.
Celtics PF Jayson Tatum continues to make his remarkable comeback from rupturing his Achilles in last year’s postseason, averaging just under 25 PPG on 49.3% shooting. Tatum’s career high for FG% in a single postseason is 47.1%.
If the 76ers are going to extend the series, they must figure out a way to stop Tatum and create some offense.
76ers vs. Celtics Spread, Over/Under – Tuesday, April 28
The Celtics enter Tuesday’s game as 12.5-point favorites against the 76ers, returning a 1.16x payout if they win outright, via PrizePicks Team Picks.
Here are the full payouts for 76ers vs. Celtics on PrizePicks.
- Spread: Boston Celtics -12.5 (1.96x payout)
- Over/Under: 212.5 (1.75x payout on Over)
- Game Winner Payout: 76ers 4.76x | Celtics 1.16x
Play the 76ers vs. Celtics spread or over/under on PrizePicks Team Picks to earn real money — available in 35 states!
Team Picks data is live at the time of writing and is subject to change.
Philadelphia 76ers vs. Boston Celtics Timeline
Here is the full Celtics vs. 76ers timeline, including the playoff series game-by-game and recent matchup history.
All-Time: Celtics, 277-201
Regular Season: Tied 2-2
Series: Celtics, 3-1
76ers vs. Celtics First Round Timeline, Schedule for 2026 NBA Playoffs
- Game 1: Celtics, 123-91
- Game 2: 76ers, 111-97
- Game 3: Celtics, 108-100
- Game 4: Celtics, 128-96
- Game 5: Tuesday, April 28, 7:00 p.m. ET in Boston
- Games 6-7 are if necessary
76ers vs. Celtics Prediction on Spread for NBA Playoffs First Round
Here are the key stats and trends behind our Celtics vs. 76ers prediction on the spread for Tuesday, April 28.
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- The 76ers have covered more times than not, doing so in 46 of 87 games (52.9%) against the spread.
- Philly has been an underdog in all four games of the series, going 2-2 ATS and notching one outright win.
- Philadelphia is 19-22 ATS as an underdog. As an underdog of 10+ points, the 76ers are 3-5 ATS, and the two covers were by half a point.
- The Sixers’ offense has struggled shooting, sitting 23rd in FG% (46.2%). It also owns just a 108.2 rating this postseason.
- The Celtics have won their three games by an average of 24 points but only covered in two of those wins, missing by a hook in Game 4. The Celtics have covered in 51 of 86 contests (59.3%) this season, the most covers of any NBA team.
- The Celtics are 36-26 ATS as a favorite. Those 36 covers are tied with the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs for the second-most behind the Oklahoma City Thunder (38).
- Boston’s offense is one of the most efficient in the league with a rating of 120.0 (second-best) and an effective field goal clip of 55.3% (11th). Through four postseason games, the Celtics lead all teams in O-rating (123.9) and eFG% (56.1%).
76ers vs. Celtics Player Picks, Stats for PrizePicks: 4/28/26
Here are the top 76ers vs. Celtics picks to target in the NBA Playoffs on PrizePicks for Tuesday, April 28. Today’s NBA picks for PrizePicks include PG Tyrese Maxey and PF Jayson Tatum.
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76ers PG Tyrese Maxey vs. Celtics Projection: 24.5 Points
- Maxey has hit his points projection in three of his last five games, including two of four this series, after failing to do so in eight of the previous 10 contests.
- The last nine times Maxey didn't hit his points projection, he didn't exceed 20 shots. Each of the last eight times he went over the 20-shot mark, he eclipsed the projection as well.
- In Embiid's return, Maxey took just 14 field goal attempts, his second-fewest in the month of April.
- Through four postseason games, the Kentucky product is only shooting 40.9% from the field. In four regular-season meetings with Boston, Maxey shot 42% from the field.
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Celtics PF Jayson Tatum vs. 76ers Projection: 39.5 Pts + Rebs + Asts
- Tatum has reached his PRA projection in 10 of his last 12 games and in 14 of 20 since returning.
- During that 12-game stretch, Tatum is averaging 40.3 PRA, 5.5 higher than his career average of 34.8.
- Over the last 15 outings, Tatum has 9+ rebounds in 11 of them. He has 7+ assists in 10 of his last 12.
- In 33 career games vs. the 76ers, Tatum is averaging 21.8 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 4.8 assists.
Add Jayson Tatum to your PrizePicks Lineup now.
NBA Playoffs Live Picks: 76ers vs. Celtics on PrizePicks for Game 5
Here are some in-game angles to target for your 76ers vs. Celtics live picks tonight.
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- In 125 career postseason games, Jayson Tatum is averaging 24.3 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 5.0 assists.
- Boston can take advantage coming out of the half, as Philadelphia averages only 27.2 PPG in the third quarter, 29th of 30 NBA teams. So far in the series, the 76ers have exceeded 27 points in the third quarter one time.
- The Celtics are 25th in the NBA in fourth-quarter scoring (26.8 PPG). This series, they've scored 20, 29, 29, and 33 in the final period, exceeding their average three times.
- Including the postseason, Boston is fifth in average second-half scoring margin at +2.4.
Make 76ers vs. Celtics Picks on PrizePicks
The season is on the line for the 76ers tonight in Boston. Can the Celtics finish them off and advance to the next round of the NBA Playoffs?
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