Boston Celtics set to face the Philadelphia 76ers in first round of 2026 NBA East Playoffs

The Boston Celtics now know their opponent for the first round of the 2026 NBA Eastern Conference Playoffs with the league's 2026 play-in tourney 7-8 game having been decided on Wednesday night. That game, which pitted the Orlando Magic against the Philadelphia 76ers at Philly's home court of Xfinity Mobile Arena, saw the Sixers emerge victorious with a convincing 109-97 win over the Magic powered by Tyrese Maxey (30 points, 6 assists) and VJ Edgecombe (19 points, 11 rebounds). That twosome will be quite the dead of the snake for the Celtics to have to stop in their first round series set to kick off at TD Garden on Sunday, April 19. But from there, the threats decline in intensity notably, with both Kelly Oubre and Paul George able to provide some scoring punch if not defense among the starters and Quentin Grimes the same off the bench. The trio of Andre Drummond, Dominick Barlow, and Adem Bona make for a solid if unintimidating frontline for Neemias Queta, Nikola Vucevic, and Luka Garza to contend with (Joel Embiid will start the series recovering from appendicitis, and could conceivably return in a limited role at some point later in the series, but likely will not). Mar 1, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics forward Jaylen Brown (7) shoots during the second half against the Philadelphia 76ers at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images Beyond that, there is not a lot of scoring punch or defensive clamps to be found on this iteration of the Sixers, who will have their hands full covering Boston's ability to put 4- and 5-out lineups on the floor that are also very capable defenders. We expect Philadelphia to avoid a sweep, but don't expect more than a win for the 76ers vs. Boston in this series. Listen to "Havlicek Stole the Pod" on: Blue Wire: iTunes: YouTube: *This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: *