The Philadelphia 76ers defeated the Boston Celtics 109-100 to advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals and complete the NBA’s 14th comeback from a 3-1 deficit on Sunday night.
Joel Embiid finished with 34 points, 12 rebounds, and six assists, while Tyrese Maxey added 30 points, 11 rebounds, and seven assists. VJ Edgecombe dropped 23 points, and Paul George added 13.
The seventh-seeded 76ers will face the No.3 Knicks on Monday night in Game 1 of the second round.
The Philadelphia franchise, including its time as the Syracuse Nationals, improved to 2-10 in road Game 7s.
It’s only other win came in 1982 at the Boston Garden. It’s a small measure of revenge after Boston blew out Philadelphia in Game 7 in the second round of the 2023 playoffs.
Embiid debuted in Game 4 after recovering from appendectomy surgery, is the first player in NBA history to score 100 points in a playoff series despite missing the first three games.
The Sixers’ big man and Maxey also became the third duo in league history to each have 25 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists in a Game 7.
On the other hand, Jaylen Brown led the Celtics with 33 points and nine rebounds, and Derrick White had 26 points. Neemias Queta finished with 17 points and 12 rebounds.
The Celtics started the second on an 18-4 run to take their first lead of the night, 37-36, on a 3-pointer by Payton Pritchard.
The 76ers led 55-50 at halftime.
The second-seeded Celtics made their earliest exit from the playoffs since the 2020-21 season. Boston fell to 32-1 when leading a series 3-1.
Meanwhile, Tatum was sidelined after he was ruled out about 90 minutes before tipoff with left knee stiffness. Brown said he didn’t find out until about 45 minutes before the game.
Philadelphia led for all but 31 seconds in the game, increasing a five-point halftime edge to 18 points in the third quarter.
It was down to 13 at the start of the fourth, and Boston opened the period on a 16-4 run to pull within 92-91.
Philadelphia was leading 101-98 when Maxey got free for a layup with 1:15 remaining.
The Celtics missed their next four shots, and Philadelphia pushed it to 105-98 on a pair of free throws by Maxey.
Boston was not as quick to fire up triples, instead opting to attack the interior of Philadelphia’s defense to get easier looks, unlike in their losses in Games 5 and 6.
