The Boston Celtics host the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series, renewing the NBA’s most-played postseason rivalry.
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Boston enters this matchup as the No. 2 seed with a 56–26 record, while Philadelphia comes in as the No. 7 seed at 45–37 after advancing through the play-in tournament. Game 1 tips Sunday at TD Garden on ABC, with the Celtics holding a slight edge with home court advantage. The regular-season series was competitive, splitting 2–2, with several close games highlighting how tight this matchup can be despite the seeding gap.
The biggest storyline heading into Game 1 is health. Philadelphia star Joel Embiid is currently out with an abdominal issue, putting more pressure on Tyrese Maxey, who just scored 31 points in the play-in clincher to push the Sixers into this series.
Boston, meanwhile, enters with momentum after a strong finish to the regular season and boasts one of the league’s most balanced rosters, led by Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. With home-court advantage and superior depth, the Celtics are clear favorites, but given the history between these teams and the Sixers’ recent surge, this opener still carries upset potential, making for a physical, high-intensity start to the series.
This is a great NBA matchup that you will not want to miss; make sure to tune in and catch all the action.
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