Throughout an erratic opening round of the NBA Playoffs, Payton Pritchard remains the Boston Celtics’ north star.
The reserve guard is giving Boston its most consistent efforts versus the Philadelphia 76ers, which says something when you have stars like Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown on your roster.
Pritchard is producing in various ways through the first five games of this postseason set, averaging 15 points, four rebounds, and five assists. Our Celtics vs. 76ers predictions like the sensational sixth man to keep setting the tone Thursday.
My NBA picks take Pritchard to put up points in Game 6.
Celtics vs 76ers prediction
Celtics vs 76ers best bet: Payton Pritchard Over 13.5 points (-112)
It seemed no member of the Boston Celtics was immune to whatever ailment impacted the team’s shooting in the second half of Game 6. The Celtics were outscored 63-40 by the Philadelphia 76ers in the final 24 minutes on Tuesday.
Payton Pritchard struggled in the second half, but his stat line was glowing compared to some of the Celtics’ other standouts. He finished the game with 12 points on 5-for-10 shooting in just 26 minutes off the bench, including 1-for-5 from beyond the arc.
When asked about his team’s struggles at home, Pritchard told the media, “I can’t really put my finger on it, but honestly, it feels like we've been better on the road.”
That’s true, at least for Pritchard. This season, he averaged 18.3 points per game as a visitor compared to 15.8 ppg at TD Garden, while shooting identical field-goal rates. His best effort in this series was a 32-point explosion at Philadelphia in Game 5.
Pritchard is picking up the slack, not just left by stars like Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum but also the rest of the Celtics’ support staff. Derrick White is broken, and Sam Hauser is ineffective, leaving key minutes to fall to Pritchard.
He’s a collective 22-for-43 from the field the past three games (51%), and with Game 6 expected to be the tightest of the series (Boston -5.5), game script says he’ll log his standard of 32+ minutes.
Player projections are positive for Pritchard as well, with models ranging from 14.9 to 15.3 points in a crucial contest for the Celtics.
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Celtics vs 76ers same-game parlay
The Celtics’ struggles aren’t deep rooted. They simply live by the three and die by the three. Boston was in command but got passive, and that led to cold shooting in the home stretch of Game 5. I expect the C’s to come out swinging and make good on a 70% ATS win rate off a loss over the past three seasons.
Tyrese Maxey won’t roll over for Boston at home. And with the game script calling for the Sixers to fight from behind, he’ll try to play catch-up from outside the arc. He’s made three or more triples in each of the past four games in this series.
Celtics vs 76ers SGP
- Celtics -5.5
- Payton Pritchard Over 13.5 points
- Tyrese Maxey Over 2.5 threes
Celtics vs 76ers betting trend to know
The Boston Celtics are 60-13 SU and 51-22 ATS (70%) off a loss over the past three seasons. Find more NBA betting trends for Celtics vs. 76ers.
How to watch Celtics vs 76ers Game 6
| Location | Xfinity Mobile Arena, Philadelphia, PA |
| Date | Thursday, April 30, 2026 |
| Tip-off | 8:00 p.m. ET |
| TV | NBCSN/Peacock |
Celtics vs 76ers latest injuries
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