76ers Continue Hot Play And Outstanding Defense To Force A Game 7 vs. Celtics
Apr 30, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Paul George (8) reacts to his score against the Boston Celtics during the second quarter at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
The 76ers and Celtics will need a Game 7.
After going down 3-1 in their first round, the 76ers looked destined to go down in a gentleman’s sweep in Boston during Game 5, losing another playoff series to the Celtics. However, the 76ers changed their tone of play in the game, locking down the Celtics’ three-point shots, riding the returning Joel Embiid to an upset victory to send the series back to Philadelphia.
Back at home, the 76ers wanted more than anything to see 76ers fans celebrating a win at home after losing the first two of this series, and they did just that, defeating Boston 106-93, tying the series up at 3-3, forcing a Game 7.
The defense was on full display in the way, forcing the Celtics to shoot 34-for-84 (40%) from the field, and 12-for-41 (29%) from three. The entire 76ers starting lineup scored 100 of the 106 points on the night, with Tyrese Maxey leading the way with 30 points and five assists. While the points didn’t show it, Joel Embiid was dominant once again, finishing with 19 points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists. Paul George also added 23 points in the win.
Game 6 opened up the same way Game 5 closed out, with Joel Embiid knocking down big mid-range shots. Embiid scored the 76ers’ first five points of the game and extended their early lead with back-to-back threes from Tyrese Maxey and Paul George.
Jaylen Brown got the Celtics going with a bucket, and Jayson Tatum kept it going with his first three of the night. The other 76ers started entering the stat sheet, with Quentin Grimes and Kelly Oubre Jr. each hitting their first shots, keeping the lead thanks to another three.
Up by four, both teams began playing lock-down defense to close out the first quarter; however, Tatum ended that run with a long three just before the quarter ended, with the 76ers leading 20-19.
Quarter two saw increased offense from both teams, especially from the 76ers. Brown kicked off the Celtics quarter with six straight points that gave Boston the lead, but four points from Embiid and Edgecombe kept them in range.
Following threes from Derrick White, Oubre, George, and Brown, the 76ers began growing their lead to close out the first half. Andre Drummond knocked a tip-in after grabbing a hard offensive rebound, and George added five straight points to go up nine.
With Embiid back in the game for the final four minutes, all the attention went towards the big man and away from Maxey. Whether it was driving through the lane for layups, hitting fading jumpers, or nailing 27-foot threes, Maxey was unstoppable in the final few minutes, scoring the final nine points of the half for Philadelphia to put them up 58-49 at half.
Out of the break, the 76ers continued to grow their lead thanks to another three from George and four points from Embiid. Brown drilled a three-pointer for the Celtics first of the half, but a fantastic sequence where Embiid tossed a no-look pass to Oubre for a dunk, followed by a block from Oubre on the other end, leading to a behind-the-back pass from George to Edgecombe for another dunk.
The 76ers were on fire, and they rode that fire throughout the remainder of the third quarter into the final 12 minutes of action. George contends to shoot like his old self, hitting multiple big shots throughout the remainder of the quarter, and when he didn’t take the shots, Maxey took them. When it was all said and done, the 76ers extended their lead to 82-63 after three quarters.
In the fourth quarter, Embiid checked back into the game and instantly knocked down a bucket. However, following buckets from Justin Edwards and George, the Cleitcs went on an 11-0 run to cut back down to a 12-point game. Luka Garza was the kickstarter with five straight points, Payton Pritchard hit a technical free throw, and Ron Harper Jr. drilled another three. The run was capped off by the man who started it, with Garza slamming a dunk.
Following a timeout, the 76ers went back to their well, Embiid scoring a mid-range bucket. Maxey and Oubre added buckets to regain the lead, and for the final five minutes, it seemed as though the Celtics were more conceding the loss than attempting the comeback, with Tatum and Brown both sitting on the bench.
As the quarter rolled down, the Cletics continued jacking up shots that weren’t falling, and the 76ers began ticking the clock away and essentially just trying to run out the clock. Nick Nurse began emptying his bench with two minutes to go, and when it was all said and done, the 76ers held onto the 106-93 win, tying the series 3-3.
Matt Brown
Matt has been a Philadelphia sports fan all his life and spent four years at Penn State University majoring in Broadcast Journalism and minoring in Sports Studies. He previously covered Penn State’s field hockey, men’s and women’s basketball, and baseball teams while writing for a Penn State blog called Onward State. He has now covered the Phillies, Eagles, and Sixers for Philly Sports Reports since October 2024 and wants to pursue a career in Sports Journalism.
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