Philadelphia 76ers vs. Boston Celtics Picks and Prediction, Wednesday, October 22, 2025
Use Code SSWC The Boston Celtics begin their 2025-26 NBA season at home on Wednesday with the visits of the 76ers. Get the inside track on this all-Eastern Conference matchup with our 76ers vs. Celtics prediction and picks as an exciting new NBA season gets underway. Tip-off is scheduled for 7.30pm ET at the Celtics' TD Garden home.
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Embiid health key for Sixers
Philadelphia starts this new season in optimistic fashion despite its terrible 2024-25 campaign. The 76ers played much of the past season plagued by injuries, most notably to former MVP center Joel Embiid who was restricted to just 19 starts due to repeated knee issues. Power forward Paul George also missed more than 40 games last year. With those absences weighing heavy the Sixers missed out on the postseason for the first time since 2017 and finished 24-58, taking fifth place in the Atlantic Division and 13th in the Eastern Conference.
That poor record did help the Sixers clinch the third overall pick in the 2025 Draft, which they used on Baylor's Bahamian shooting guard V.J. Edgecombe. Edgecombe averaged 15.0 ppg with 5.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 2.1 steals in his freshman year while shooting 43.6% from the field. He will be competing for minutes with Tyrese Maxey, Jared McCain and vets Kyle Lowry and Eric Gordon, and gave a good account of himself with 26 points in Philadelphia's 126-110 preseason win over Minnesota, shooting 10-18 from the field and 2-6 from deep. This is otherwise much the same roster that Nick Nurse oversaw in 2024-25, changing only around the edges with the departures of Guerschon Yabusele and Jared Butler, meaning that it will come down to health if the Sixers wish to avoid another disappointment.
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On that front, to start the season, George (knee) is ramping up his recovery but remains a doubt to start the opener, as is new acquisition, PF Trendon Watford (hamstring). McCain (thumb) will remain on the sidelines for another couple of weeks and will miss out against Boston.
Celtics begin latest title quest
There seems to be little doubt that the Boston Celtics will be fighting right until the end for another NBA Championship title in 2025-26. The Celtics fell short in their title defense last season when they were humbled in six games by the Knicks in the Eastern Conference semis, a huge upset for Joe Mazzulla's charges. In the regular season, Boston won 61 games and finished second in its conference behind Cleveland, while claiming first place in the Atlantic Division for the fourth straight year.
There has been a fair amount of change to this Celtics roster, with Jrue Holiday and Kristaps PorziΕΔ£is traded away and Al Horford and Luke Kornet lost to free agency, while Luka Garza (free agent) and Anfernee Simons (trade with Portland) are the biggest new names to report to Boston over the offseason. The big difference, of course, will be the absence of Jayson Tatum. The six-time All Star's serious Achilles injury in Game Four against the Knicks gutted Boston in the middle of its postseason challenge, and he still does not have a timeline back to the courts as he continues rehab. Tatum ranked fifth in the NBA with 26.7 points per game in the 2024-25 regular season, also contributing 8.7 rebounds and 3.8 assists.
In other injury news, Tatum's partner-in-crime in the backcourt, Jaylen Brown (hamstring) is marked day-to-day after participating in Tuesday's practice.
76ers vs. Celtics Pick
76ers vs. Celtics Spread Pick
- Celtics -2.5 (5 Units)
While the Celtics will clearly be missing Tatum and perhaps Brown in Wednesday's opener while also putting out a new-look team, Philadelphia hasn't closed the gap enough over the offseason to get close enough to cover a tight spread at the TD Garden. Boston went 3-1 against its Atlantic Division rival in 2024-25, winning both home games by margins of eight and 18 points. The Sixers went 9-19-1 ATS last year playing as an away underdog and 28-52-2 overall. They are still weak at forward with George struggling with fitness and limited cover in the frontcourt against a deep Celtics roster. Back the Celtics to power through and cover in front of their own fans to start the year.
Take the Celtics.
76ers vs. Celtics Over/Under Pick
- Over 226.5 (5 Units)
This Celtics defense still looks strong despite some key departures, and that should keep the total down against a 76ers team whose returning stars may need time to recover full game rhythm after long lay-offs. Boston ranked second in the NBA last year by giving up 107.2 points per game and allowed opponents to make 45% of attempts from the field, the best record in pro basketball behind the Thunder. On the other side of the ball, Tatum's absence will obviously affect the team's scoring potential. The Celtics went 37-45 on the over last year and 27-35-1 in conference games. The Sixers averaged 109.6 ppg in 2024-25, ranking 26th. Boston averaged 98.3 possessions per game at home last season, the lowest of any NBA team.
Take the under.
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