The NBA announced two key dates for the Boston Celtics as we turn the corner from the regular season into the playoffs.
The first will be when their first-round opponent is determined. The Philadelphia 76ers will host the Orlando Magic on Wednesday, April 15 at 7:30 p.m. on Amazon Prime. The winner of that game will travel to Boston for the first round of the playoffs.
The Magic could have hosted that game as the seventh seed, but the Sixers won while the Magic lost to the Celtics, pulling Philadelphia ahead into seventh.
“I don’t know, this was a must win game, at least I thought,” Magic star Paolo Banchero said after the game. “I just think we didn’t come out with no urgency. It’s frustrating, honestly.”
That frustration could cost them their season, unless they recover quickly and get the win on Wednesday. Even if they lose, they’ll have a chance to keep their season alive by taking on the winner of the 9/10 matchup between Miami and Charlotte. The winner of that second game will take on the Detroit Pistons.
Here is the full play-in schedule.
NBA
The Celtics will kick off the Sunday slate of games on April 19 with a 1 p.m. game against the seventh seed in Boston. The full schedule has not been released yet, but Game 1 between the Celtics and either the Sixers or Magic will air on ABC.
The playoffs will actually begin the day before, with the Raptors and Cavs starting things off at 1 p.m. on Prime. Here is the full schedule of Game 1s next weekend.
NBA
The rest of the first-round schedule will be released later in the week.
The Celtics are heading into the playoffs on a high note, winning their 56th game of the year with eight of their main guys sitting out against Orlando.
“We’re proud of the effort we put out there,” Baylor Scheierman, who scored a career-high 30 in the game, said. “I think going into the game we were expecting to go out there and compete and win the game. I know I know going into the game, that was our expectation, and we’re excited that we won. And honestly, just getting ready for the playoffs now.”
This is the first season where every postseason game will be carried nationally, without any local broadcast. That means the Magic-Celtics regular season finale will be the last broadcast by NBC Sports Boston until next season.