NBA: Tyrese Maxey, Sixers dump Celtics again, send series to Game 7

Tyrese Maxey scored 30 points on Thursday as the surging Philadelphia 76ers defeated the visiting Boston Celtics, 106-93, to force a decisive Game 7 in their first-round Eastern Conference playoff series.

The second-seeded Celtics had taken a 3-1 series lead after a 32-point win in Philadelphia on Sunday, but the seventh-seeded Sixers responded with back-to-back double-digit victories in Games 5 and 6 to level the series.

The teams will meet again on Saturday for Game 7 in Boston, where Philadelphia will attempt to complete a historic comeback after falling behind 3-1.

Paul George added 23 points for the Sixers, while Joel Embiid posted 19 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists in his third game back following an emergency appendectomy. VJ Edgecombe and Kelly Oubre Jr. contributed 14 points each.

“I just thought we played free,” George said. “There’s really no pressure. We come out — we lose, we go home.”

“It’s still win-or-go-home. I like our chances,” he added. “I know it’s not going to be easy, but we’ve been playing well lately.”

Jaylen Brown led Boston with 18 points but also committed five of the team’s 13 turnovers. Jayson Tatum finished with 17 points and 11 rebounds. The Celtics struggled offensively, shooting 41.9% from the field, 29.3% from three-point range (12 of 41), and 56.2% from the free-throw line (9 of 16).

Philadelphia started slowly, shooting just 8 of 24 (33.3%) in the first quarter and trailing 23-20 after 12 minutes.

The Sixers turned the game in the second quarter, outscoring Boston 38-26 behind 13 points from Maxey. Philadelphia held a narrow 38-36 lead midway through the period before an 18-8 run, sparked by Edgecombe’s jumper, gave the hosts a double-digit advantage. Maxey added a late floater to send Philadelphia into halftime ahead.

Boston cut the deficit to 65-54 early in the third after a 3-pointer from Brown, but Philadelphia responded with a highlight sequence that included Embiid’s behind-the-back pass to Oubre for a dunk, followed by George’s no-look assist to Edgecombe for a slam that energized the crowd.

The Sixers extended their lead to as many as 21 points late in the third quarter and entered the fourth up 82-63.

Philadelphia led 88-65 with 10:24 remaining before Boston rallied with an 11-0 run, capped by a Luka Garza dunk with 7:10 left. However, the Sixers quickly regained control. Edgecombe hit a 3-pointer to push the lead to 98-78, and Philadelphia cruised the rest of the way.

“It’s part of the playoffs. We have an opportunity for Game 7 at home,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said. “We didn’t play well tonight. We’ve got to move on to the next game.”

— Field Level Media / Reuters