The Philadelphia 76ers advanced to the East semifinals for the first time since 2023 after falling behind 3-1 to the Boston Celtics. The win marks the first time in 42 years that the Sixers have defeated the Celtics in a playoff series.
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NBA game highlights between Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics
NBA game highlights between Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics
Joel Embiid inspired the Philadelphia 76ers to pull off a surprising comeback win over the Jayson Tatum-less Boston Celtics and advance to the NBA Eastern Conference semifinals.
Embiid finished the game with 34 points, 12 rebounds, and 6 assists. Tyrese Maxey added 30 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists, VJ Edgecombe had 23 points and Paul George had 13.
Philadelphia is scheduled to face the New York Knicks in Game 1 of the second round on Monday night.
“So obviously going back to 3-1 is tough. I understand because I just did it. And obviously I missed three of those games because the first one was about me getting myself back. It’s tough, but it feels good to get the win,” Embiid said.
“Of course we had bigger goals in mind, and it feels pretty good to finally beat these guys.”
Including their time with the Syracuse Nationals, the Sixers franchise improved to 2-10 in seven road games. Their only win came in 1982 at the Boston Garden.
Jaylen Brown led Boston with 33 points and nine rebounds. Derrick White scored 26 points, including five 3-pointers. Neemias Queta finished the game with 17 points and 12 rebounds.
The Celtics have struggled from the 3-point line for three straight games, finishing 13 of 49.
The second-seeded Celtics were eliminated from the playoffs for the earliest time since the 2020-21 season. Boston went from leading the series 3-1 to down 32-1.
The Celtics played without Tatum after he was ejected about 90 minutes before tipoff due to left knee stiffness.
Philadelphia led for all but 31 seconds of the game and stretched its halftime lead of five to 18 in the third quarter.
“I’ve always said, you can’t win on your own,” Embiid added. “It takes a team to win and everyone is doing their part. The way we’re playing right now, I think we’re aligned offensively and defensively.
“People understand what they have to do and that’s a beautiful thing to see, and that’s what I’ve always wanted: to win basketball, share the ball, defensively, everyone locks in on what they have to do, and that’s how you win.”
