Philadelphia 76ers vs Boston Celtics Prediction, Preview and Odds - 05/02/2026

Game Time: 7:30 pm ET, Saturday, May 2, 2026

Venue:  TD Garden, Boston, MA

Where to Watch:  NBC, Peacock

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  76ers +7.5, Celtics -7.5; Over/Under:  206.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  76ers +7.5, Celtics -7.5; Over/Under:  206.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  76ers +7.5, Celtics -7.5; Over/Under:  206.5 points

Philadelphia 76ers:  45-37 (4th place, Atlantic Division)

Boston Celtics:  56-26 (1st place, Atlantic Division)

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Philadelphia 76ers:  6-4 last 10

Boston Celtics:  6-4 last 10

The 76ers are entering the playoffs with a 45-37 record overall this season and they were 22-19 in their road games where they will be in this game. They are entering this game on a 2 game winning streak with wins coming against the Boston Celtics twice in a row. Tyrese Maxey led the team in points in that game with 30 while Paul George was next on the team with 23 points. Joel Embiid led the team in assists in that game with 8 while Joel Embiid led the team in rebounds with 10. They were 43.8% from the field, 33.3% from 3-point range, and 89.5% from the free throw line with their shots in that game. Their offense is averaging 115.9 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 116.1 PPG against them. The 76ers have an ATS record of 48-41 this season and their O/U record is 41-48.

The Celtics are entering the playoffs with a 56-26 record overall this season and they were 30-11 in their home games where they will be in this game. They are entering this game on a 2 game losing streak with losses coming against the Philadelphia 76ers twice in a row. Jaylen Brown led the team in points in that game with 18 while Jayson Tatum was next on the team with 17 points. Payton Pritchard led the team in assists in that game with 5 while Jayson Tatum and Neemias Queta each led the team in rebounds with 11. They were 41.9% from the field, 29.3% from 3-point range, and 56.3% from the free throw line with their shots in that game. Their offense is averaging 114.9 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 107.2 PPG against them. The Celtics have an ATS record of 51-37 this season and their O/U record is 31-57.

The current betting odds have the 76ers listed as a 7.5 point underdog in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Celtics have looked great in their games this season with their 56-26 record overall which had them right near the top of the East with one of the best records in the entire NBA. They have looked great on their home court too with their 30-11 home record this season. Meanwhile, the 76ers have looked good in their games this season with their 45-37 record overall which had them right in the middle of the East. They have been a good road team too with their 22-19 road record this year. This is game 7 of a 7-game series between the 2 seeded Celtics and the 7 seeded 76ers in the East for the 1st round of the NBA playoffs. This series is all evened up 3-3 after the 76ers won game 6 by a score of 106-93. The 76ers didn't look good to start this series and were even missing their best player, Joel Embiid. They got down 2-1 in the series before Embiid finally returned to the lineup and still lost that first game with him back, going down 3-1 in the series, but they have looked a lot better in the last 2 games now. The supporting cast around Embiid has looked a lot better in both of those games and now they have all of the momentum in this series with 2 wins in a row, forcing a game 7. They have been shutting down the Celtics on the offensive end in these games too and being on the road for game 7 isn't a big deal since 2 of the 3 wins for the 76ers in this series came in road games. The Celtics have looked like the best team in the East for a lot of the season, but the wheels are starting to come off now and the 76ers have the talent to keep this a tight game with the way they have played in the last 2 games. The Celtics might bounce back to end this series anyway, but it's not going to be a blow out with the way the 76ers have been fighting in this series. The best way to place a bet here is on the 76ers to cover the spread in this game. 

76ers Celtics Prediction:  Our NBA Pick for Saturday, May 2, 2026 (7:30 pm ET start time) is Celtics 109  76ers 105.

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Philadelphia 76ers: 3-7 ATS off an upset win over a division rival as an underdog. 21-28 ATS when playing against a team with a winning record. 23-30 ATS versus good rebounding teams - outrebounding opponents by 3+ per game. 9-5 UNDER when the total is 200 to 209.5. 9-2 UNDER off an upset win as a home underdog.

Boston Celtics: 38-18 ATS off an upset loss as a favorite. 11-2 ATS after 2 or more consecutive losses. 19-10 ATS revenging a straight up loss vs opponent as a road favorite. 25-12 UNDER as a home favorite. 33-14 UNDER when playing against a team with a winning record.

Philadelphia 76ers:  None.

Boston Celtics:  None.

“This is just one game, that's one story. It's nice to win a couple in a row. It's nice to win and play the way we did tonight. But it really does not matter. Each game is it's own game.” - Nick Nurse after his team’s win against the Celtics in the 6th game of this series on Thursday. 

“This is part of the playoffs. Have an opportunity for Game 7 at home. It's part of our journey. We didn't play well tonight, and we move on to the next game.” - Joe Mazzulla after his team’s loss against the 76ers in game 6 of this series on Thursday. 

PG Tyrese Maxey

SG VJ Edgecombe

SF Kelly Oubre Jr.

PF Paul George

C Joel Embiid

PG Derrick White 

SG Jaylen Brown 

SF Sam Hauser

PF Jayson Tatum

C Neemias Queta

PPG: Tyrese Maxey (28.3)

APG: Tyrese Maxey (6.6)

Reb/G: Andre Drummond (8.4)

PPG: Jaylen Brown (28.7)

APG: Derrick White (5.4)

Reb/G: Jayson Tatum (10)

Coaches:

Philadelphia 76ers: Nick Nurse (3rd season)

Boston Celtics: Joe Mazzulla (4th season)