The Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics clash in win-or-go-home Game 7 on Saturday, May 2, at 7:30 p.m. ET, televised by NBC and Peacock. The Celtics enter as 8.5-point favorites on the spread, via PrizePicks Team Picks.
Down and counted out, the Philadelphia 76ers have won the past two games with their season on the line to force a Game 7 in Boston on Saturday. Despite being down 3-1 in the series and down 13 points in Game 5, the Sixers still found ways to win. The victor of Saturday night’s Game 7 will face the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Below, we’ll break down our 76ers vs. Celtics prediction and picks for Saturday’s NBA game, including the spread, over/under, and key player picks for PrizePicks.
Don't wait until tip-off — make your 76ers vs. Celtics picks on PrizePicks now.
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76ers vs. Celtics Prediction, Spread, Over/Under for Game 7 – Saturday, May 2
The 76ers used a 42-25 run over the second and third periods to defeat the Celtics in Game 6. Much like in Game 5, Philly shut down the Celtics and found its offense just in time to keep their season alive. One game after scoring only 11 points in the fourth quarter, Boston mustered just 14 points in Game 6’s third quarter, going more than four minutes without scoring as the Sixers led by 19 entering the final frame.
On offense, Philly was led by G Tyrese Maxey’s 30 points, C Joel Embiid’s 19 points, 10 rebounds, and 8 assists, and F Paul George added 23 points. After hitting only 40.9% of his shots through the first four games of the series, Maxey has made 21-40 (52.5%) over the last two games.
Philadelphia never trailed on Thursday and is trying to become just the 14th team to overcome a 3-1 deficit. The Sixers would be the first team to pull off the feat since the Denver Nuggets did it in the Western Conference semifinals over the Clippers in 2020. Boston has never blown a 3-1 series lead in franchise history.
Following a brief injury scare in Game 6, Celtics F Jayson Tatum was expected to be fully active tonight. However, Tatum was added to the NBA injury report on Saturday afternoon and is listed as questionable due to left knee stiffness.
76ers vs. Celtics Spread, Over/Under for Game 7 – Saturday, May 2
The Celtics enter Saturday’s game as 8.5-point favorites against the 76ers, returning a 1.31x payout if they win outright, via PrizePicks Team Picks.
Here are the full payouts for 76ers vs. Celtics on PrizePicks.
- Spread: Boston Celtics -8.5 (1.85x payout)
- Over/Under: 205.5 (1.81x payout on Over)
- Game Winner Payout: 76ers 3.22x | Celtics 1.31x
Play the Celtics vs. 76ers 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 76ers vs. Celtics timeline, including the playoff series game-by-game and recent matchup history.
All-Time: Celtics, 344-253
Regular Season: Tied 2-2
Series: Tied 3-3
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: 76ers, 113-97
- Game 6: 76ers, 106-93
- Game 7: Saturday, May 2, 7:30 p.m. in Boston
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76ers vs. Celtics Prediction on Spread for NBA Playoffs First Round Game 7
Here are the key stats and trends behind our 76ers vs. Celtics prediction on the spread for Saturday, May 2.
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- Boston and Philadelphia square off in Game 7 for the record ninth time, with Boston having won six of the previous eight collisions.
- The Celtics are 27-10 in Game 7s, the most wins of any franchise, while the 76ers are 6-12.
- The 76ers have covered the spread in 48 of 89 games (53.9%), including the play-in game and Games 1, 3, 5, and 6 vs. Boston
- Philly has been an underdog in all seven games of the series, going 4-2 against the number entering Game 7, with two outright wins as double-digit underdogs.
- Philadelphia is now 21-22 ATS as an underdog, covering in two of the three games in Boston in this series.
- Through six postseason games, the 76ers are 10th out of 16 playoff teams with 102.8 points per game, ninth with a 44.2% FG%, 10th with a 51.0% eFG%, and eighth in offensive rating (110.0).
- The Celtics dominated with the best cover percentage in the regular season but have failed to cover in four of the five games vs. the 76ers.
- Boston is 36-28 ATS as a favorite, and its 36 covers are the fourth-best mark in the NBA.
- The Celtics offense didn't battle regular-season efficiency woes like the 76ers, sporting a 120.0 offensive rating (second) and 55.3% eFG% (11th).
- That efficiency has taken a dip in the playoffs with a 114.9 offensive rating (fourth) and 53.3% eFG% (sixth).
76ers vs. Celtics Players Picks, Stats for PrizePicks – 5/2/26
Here are the top 76ers vs. Celtics picks to target in the NBA Playoffs on PrizePicks for Saturday, May 2. Today’s NBA picks for PrizePicks include Tyrese Maxey and Jayson Tatum.
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76ers G Tyrese Maxey vs. Celtics Projection: 34.5 Pts + Rebs + Asts
- After failing to hit his PRA projection in nine of 10 games, Tyrese Maxey has bounced back by hitting the mark in four of the last five games.
- The rebound department has played a huge role, as Maxey has surpassed his PRA projection when he totals 3 boards in the last 12 contests.
- Furthermore, he's reached 5 assists in all six games of the series, racking up 6.5 assists per game.
- Maxey shot only 40.9% from the field and 39.3% on 3-pointers over the first four games of the series, but that's jumped to 52.5% field goal percentage over the last two matchups.
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Celtics F Jayson Tatum vs. 76ers Projection: 41.5 Pts + Rebs + Asts
- Celtics F Jayson Tatum has been a mainstay for PRA projections, surpassing his total in 11 of his last 14 games and in 15 of 22 games since returning this season.
- Over his last 14 appearances, Tatum has totaled 39.9 PRA per game, which is 5 higher than his career average of 34.8.
- In the last 17 games, Tatum has 9+ rebounds in 13 matchups, and he had at least 7 assists in 10 of his last 14 games.
- In 35 career games vs. the 76ers, including the first six games of the series, Tatum is averaging 21.8 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 4.7 assists per game.
Add Jayson Tatum to your PrizePicks Lineup now.
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NBA Playoffs Live Picks: 76ers vs. Celtics on PrizePicks for Game 7
Here are some in-game angles to target for your 76ers vs. Celtics live picks in today’s game.
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- In 127 career postseason games, Jayson Tatum is averaging 24.3 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 5.0 assists per game.
- Boston can take advantage coming out of the half, as Philadelphia averages only 27.4 points per game in the third quarter (29th). So far in the series, the 76ers have exceeded 27 points in the third quarter twice.
- Boston scored only 11 points in the final quarter of Game 5. With that said, the Celtics are 26th in 4th quarter scoring (26.7 points). In this series, the Celtics scored 20, 29, 29, 33, 11, and 30 in the final period, exceeding their average in four of the six games.
- Including the postseason, Boston is seventh in second-half margin at +2.0.
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The 76ers survived back-to-back elimination games to force a Game 7 in Boston. Will they pull off the comeback and advance to the conference semifinals? Or will Boston finally find a way to close this series?
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