Boston Celtics First Round Opponent Set: Schedule, Dates, Times

The Celtics will face a familiar opponent in the first round of the playoffs, starting on Sunday

Nov 8, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) drives against Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey (0) in the first quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images | Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

The Boston Celtics will take on the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round of the NBA Playoffs, after the Sixers 109-97 win over the Orlando Magic in the 7/8 game on Wednesday night. The first game of the series is Sunday afternoon at TD Garden on ABC. 

Here’s the full schedule. 

Game 1: Sunday, April 19, at Boston, 1 p.m. (ABC)
Game 2: Tuesday, April 21, at Boston, 7 p.m. (Peacock/NBCSN)
Game 3: Friday, April 24, at Philadelphia, 7 p.m. (Amazon Prime)
Game 4: Sunday, April 26, at Philadelphia, 7 p.m. (NBC)
Game 5: Tuesday, April 28, at Boston, TBD (TBD)*
Game 6: Thursday, April 30, at Philadelphia, TBD (TBD)*
Game 7: Saturday, May 2, at Boston, TBD (TBD)*
*If Necessary

This will be the 23rd time the Celtics and Sixers have matched up in the playoffs, the most frequent matchup in NBA playoff history. The Celtics have won 15 of those series. 

The Celtics and Sixers tied their season series 2-2, but three of those games were played by November 11, so they came well before the Celtics figured themselves out. Neemias Queta had a 27-point, 17-rebound, 3-block night in their fourth matchup, which, like this one, will not involve Joel Embiid. Andre Drummond played well against Orlando, as did Adem Bona, who started but only played 16 minutes, so the Sixers can take some of that momentum with them into Boston. 

This could be a good matchup for the Celtics because the Sixers tend to give up a lot of attempts at the rim and on corner three-pointers. The Celtics, especially Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, are tailor made to exploit that, and can attack Drummond on pick-and-rolls and make reads from there. Orlando’s offense is nowhere near as creative or dynamic as Boston’s, so Drummond was allowed to shine. 

Tatum hasn’t faced the Sixers this season, so this series will have a very new, very problematic element for Philadelphia. They started Bona with Kelly Oubre Jr., Paul George, VJ Edgecombe, and Tyrese Maxey. Assuming Sam Hauser starts and takes Oubre Jr., that leaves Tatum, Brown, and Derrick White to match up against George, Maxey, and Edgecombe. There are a lot of places for the Celtics to attack in that lineup. 

As for the Magic, they are on the verge of being eliminated from the playoffs. If it wasn’t for Desmond Bane, Orlando would have been out of this game in the third quarter. Paolo Banchero looked bad and Franz Wagner looked hurt. Their season, and Jamahl Mosley’s coaching tenure, could end Friday night.