Celtics‑76ers opener set
The NBA first round opens with Celtics vs. 76ers — Game 1 is Saturday, April 18 at 3:30 p.m. ET in Boston on ABC, Game 2 is Monday, April 20 at 7 p.m. ET on TNT, and Games 3–4 are scheduled for April 23 and April 26 in Philadelphia and Boston respectively (nesn.com). The schedule lists later dates for Games 5–7 if necessary: April 28, May 1, and May 3 (nesn.com).
Boston opens its first-round series against Philadelphia on Sunday, April 19, with Game 1 set for 1 p.m. Eastern at TD Garden on ABC. (nba.com) The National Basketball Association’s official playoff schedule lists Game 2 for Tuesday, April 21 at 7 p.m. Eastern in Boston, Game 3 for Friday, April 24 at 7 p.m. Eastern in Philadelphia, and Game 4 for Sunday, April 26 at 7 p.m. Eastern in Philadelphia. (nba.com) If the series goes long, the league has Game 5 set for Tuesday, April 28 in Boston, Game 6 for Thursday, April 30 in Philadelphia, and Game 7 for Saturday, May 2 in Boston. Start times for those games have not been posted yet. (nba.com) The matchup was finalized after Philadelphia beat Orlando 109-97 in the East play-in tournament on Wednesday, April 15, to claim the No. 7 seed. Boston enters as the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference bracket. (nba.com) This is the first Celtics-76ers playoff meeting since 2023, and it pairs a Boston team that finished 56-26 with a Philadelphia team that reached the field through the play-in. NBC Sports Philadelphia reported the teams split their four regular-season games. (nbcphiladelphia.com) NBA.com’s series page says Boston has been “buoyed” by Jayson Tatum’s return from injury, while Philadelphia comes in behind Tyrese Maxey after locking up the seventh seed. The league’s bracket page lists the series at 0-0 with Boston holding home court in Games 1, 2, 5 and 7. (nba.com) Philadelphia coach Nick Nurse called Boston “a tremendous, tremendous challenge” after the Sixers clinched the spot, and Kelly Oubre Jr. said the Celtics are “a battle-tested team.” Those comments came after the play-in win that sent the Sixers to Boston for Sunday’s opener. (nbcphiladelphia.com) So the first-round picture in the East is now set for Boston: the Celtics get Philadelphia, and the series starts Sunday afternoon in Boston with the winner needing four games to advance. (nba.com)
