TST Best Bets: Celtics vs. 76ers & Hurricanes vs. Flyers (May 2, 2026)

Four games into the Boston Celtics – Philadelphia 76ers series, it did not look like we were at all likely to get a Game 7. 

The 76ers got MVP center Joel Embiid back in Game 4, and yet it didn’t seem to matter, as the Celtics steamrolled their way to a 3-1 lead. 

Two games later, Embiid has looked the best he has all season, and Boston has dropped back-to-back blowout losses to force a Game 7. 

Boston’s season has been a story of grit and resilience thus far, managing to win 56 games and take the No. 2 spot in the East despite Jayson Tatum’s Achilles injury that kept him sidelined through the majority of the regular season. 

However, that feel-good story could end in disaster on Saturday, if the Celtics become the 14th team in NBA history to blow a 3-1 lead. 

Meanwhile, in the NHL, the Eastern Conference top seed, the Carolina Hurricanes, begin what should be a war of a series against the Philadelphia Flyers. 

First Pick: Philadelphia 76ers +8.5 Boston Celtics 

Rundown: The likely Coach of the Year and the man who led the Celtics to an NBA Championship in 2024, it’s hard to poke holes in the coaching of Joe Mazulla. 

However, his commitment to his three-point-heavy offensive philosophy turns the sliders on shooting variance way up in any series the Celtics have been in during his tenure. 

Under Mazzulla, the Celtics are 17-1 when shooting 40% or better from beyond the arc in the playoffs, and 19-19 when they shoot below 40%.

Late in this series, Philadelphia head coach Nick Nurse has found ways to run Boston off the three-point and force its long-range attempts to be contested, high-difficulty shots. 

Meanwhile, the effectiveness of Boston’s defensive game plan has faltered as the series has progressed. 

They’ve deployed drop coverage against Tyrese Maxey due to the weakness of their frontcourt defenders on the perimeter, but the star 76ers guard has gashed those looks en route to averaging 26.3 points and 6.5 assists in this series. 

Speaking of frontcourt defense, Boston’s interior defenders are its biggest weakness, and that has been exploited by Embiid thoroughly since his return. 

There’s just too much in Philadelphia’s favor heading into Game 7 for this matchup not to be at least close down the wire, which should result in a 76ers cover with this large point spread. 

Second Pick: Carolina Hurricanes -1.5 over Philadelphia Flyers

Rundown: All four games between these two teams in the regular season went to overtime, which would make you expect a very tightly-contested series. 

However, the Hurricanes pulled it out in three of said contests and are coming in with much fresher legs following Round 1. 

Carolina swept through the Ottawa Senators in the first round, while Philadelphia took an extra two games to finish off the Pittsburgh Penguins. 

The Hurricanes never trailed once in their first-round series, in large part due to receiving elite play in the cage from Frederik Andersen, who recorded a .963 save percentage with 1.67 goals saved above average per 60 minutes.

If there was ever a time for a decisive victory in this series, it would be this one, as the red-hot Hurricanes roll over the Flyers.