Sunday has 4 games on the NBA slate as the fourth week of April 2026 wraps up. It’s the first round of the NBA Playoffs.
The first game will start at 1:00 PM ET, the second game will be at 3:30 PM ET, the third game will be at 7:00 PM ET, and the final contest will tip off at 9:30 PM ET. The first 2 games will be broadcast on ESPN, while the final 2 contests will be on NBC and Peacock.
Can the Celtics cover the 7.5-point spread as road favorites against the 76ers? Can the Lakers win and close out the Rockets despite entering the game as 4.5-point underdogs?
I’ll make picks for both contests below. Read on for our Sunday NBA Best Bets April 26 article.
NBA Best Bet: Boston Celtics -7.5 over Philadelphia 76ers
The Boston Celtics are primed to cover the 7.5-point spread as road favorites against the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday night. They have fared well as big favorites this year. The Celtics are 21-12 ATS when favored by 7.5 points or more this season.
Additionally, laying points with Boston on the highway has been highly profitable, as they possess a strong 26-16 ATS road record in 2025-26. Furthermore, the Celtics excel at maintaining momentum and executing in familiar spots, going 32-25 ATS after a win, 32-23 ATS in conference matchups, and 32-24 ATS on 1 day of rest this year.
Expect Boston’s offensive execution to stretch the margin late, comfortably clearing the number.
Final score projection: BOSTON CELTICS 112, PHILADELPHIA 76ERS 101.
NBA Best Bet: Los Angeles Lakers +4.5 over Houston Rockets
The Los Angeles Lakers are primed to cover the 4.5-point spread as road underdogs against the Houston Rockets on Sunday night. They’ve already posted 3 straight outright underdog wins in this series and are in a good spot to make it 4 straight and complete the sweep here.
Backing the Lakers in balanced scheduling spots has been highly profitable, yielding a strong 29-20 ATS record when playing opponents on equal rest this year. Furthermore, Los Angeles excels at keeping the ball rolling and executing against familiar foes, going 31-24 ATS after a win, 32-23 ATS in conference matchups, and 29-22 ATS when playing on 1 day of rest this season.
Expect the Lakers’ veteran leadership to keep the offense on-schedule and highly efficient, on the way to L.A. securing the outright upset.
Final score projection: LOS ANGELES LAKERS 108, HOUSTON ROCKETS 105.
Sunday NBA Best Bets April 26
- Boston Celtics -7.5
- Los Angeles Lakers +4.5
If you want to see the public betting splits for all of the NBA games on Sunday, click through to our NBA public betting chart page.
If you’re interested in the money line, spread, and total odds for Sunday’s NBA slate, head over to our NBA betting odds page.
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