Boston Celtics vs Philadelphia 76ers Prediction 5/2/26 NBA Picks Today

The Philadelphia 76ers and the Boston Celtics put it all on the line in Game 7 of the 1st Round at the TD Garden on Saturday night.

The Philadelphia 76ers looked down and out after trailing 3-1 in the series, but they have done well to keep their season alive and are now within one win of advancing to the next round after blowing past the Celtics in a 106-93 home win in Game 6 on Thursday. Tyrese Maxey led the team with 30 points and five assists on 11 of 22 shooting, Paul George added 23 points, Joel Embiid tallied 19 points with 10 rebounds and eight assists while Kelly Oubre Jr chipped in with 14 points. As a team, the 76ers shot 44 percent from the field and 11 of 33 from the 3-point line as they exploded for 38 points in the second quarter to take a nine-point lead into halftime, before they dominated the third quarter by 24-14 to push the margin out to 23 points at one stage. The 76ers got just six points combined from their bench players but their starters took care of business with each starter scoring at least 14 points.

Meanwhile, the Boston Celtics failed yet again to close out the 76ers and are now facing elimination for the first time after dropping Game 6 on Thursday. Jaylen Brown led the team in scoring with just 18 points, Jayson Tatum added 17 points with 11 rebounds while Payton Pritchard chipped in with 14 points and five assists off the bench. As a team, the Celtics shot 42 percent from the field and 12 of 41 from the 3-point line as they failed to match the energy of the 76ers from the start and fell into an early hole. We kept waiting for the Celtics to click into gear and fight their way back into the contest but the writing was on the wall when the deficit swelled to 21 points late in the third quarter. The Celtics were cold from behind the arc all night and they didn’t attack the basket enough as they shot just nine of 16 from the free throw line.

The 76ers currently have Joel Embiid listed as a game time decision but I am sure he will suit up here given what is at stake. The Celtics will be kicking themselves after missing out on two chances to close out the series early, but now they are in a must-win spot for the first time in these playoffs. It’s hard to imagine the Celtics dropping three in a row, but the momentum is with the 76ers so you can make an argument for either side here. I do think the Celtics get their act together and secure the clutch win at home, but something tells me this one is going down to the wire so I will be taking any free points I can get my hands on. Give me the 76ers with the handy start in this spot.