The Philadelphia 76ers defeated the Boston Celtics 106-93 on Thursday night at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia to force a Game 7 in the first-round playoff series.
Tyrese Maxey led the scoring with 30 points, while Paul George added 23 points in a game where Philadelphia never trailed and controlled the second half.
George pointed to timing and rotation management as key to his late-game burst, saying: “I was fresh in that moment. Coach subbed me out, subbed me back in to close out that third. So I was fresh and we just tried to get a position on the block and play from there.”
Philadelphia’s defensive identity was a central theme throughout the night, with George reinforcing its importance in playoff basketball.
“I thought our defense has been great all series. We got any chance to beat these guys, defense will have to be involved. That’s playoff basketball. You don’t go far if your defense don’t hold up. I thought we did a great job defensively, just being locked in as a group.”
The win comes after a turbulent series, but George emphasized the collective response after facing a 3-1 deficit.
“It’s just applaud the guys for not quitting. In this moment, we just stayed together, stayed confident, stayed poised, and just gave ourselves a chance here, being down 3-1 with an unbelievable opportunity to go play game seven in Boston, one of the historic and best places to play for a game seven. We’re still alive. We’re still fighting, we’re still working, we’re still staying together.”
The defensive assignment against Boston’s top perimeter scorers has defined George’s role, particularly against Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
“It’s Jayson and JB, as good as it gets. They’re going to make tough shots. They’re going to challenge me. They’re going to make me look bad at moments. They’re going to embarrass me in moments. But I enjoy the matchups, I enjoy the challenges.”
George also credited his return to rhythm following time away from the court earlier in the season.
“It came down to me being able to on off days spend extra minutes putting up shots and working on my game and my craft… It’s fun for me again.”
Looking ahead to Game 7 in Boston, George emphasized discipline and execution over emotional momentum.
“You just put everything into it… We knew what the mission was. We didn’t waver from it… It comes down to us just leaving it all out there for 48 minutes.”
Chemistry with Joel Embiid continues to develop in high-leverage moments, something George highlighted as a key progression.
“It’s been great. I think we’re finally starting to get a rhythm together… It’s been working.”
He also praised Kelly Oubre Jr.’s two-way impact in the series, calling him a physical tone-setter on the wing.
“He’s a warrior. He’s nothing short of that word. He’s just a flat-out warrior.”
With Game 7 set for Boston, the 76ers now face a win-or-go-home scenario after surviving elimination and extending the series one more night.
