PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Tyrese Maxey scored 30 points, a resurgent Paul George had 23 points and a Philadelphia 76ers’ team that lost by 32 points twice in this first-round playoff series played their most complete game of the season and forced Game 7 with a 106-93 win over the Boston Celtics on Thursday night.
The decisive game is Saturday in Boston.
“We're still alive,” George said.
The only team in NBA history to win a playoff series after losing two games by 30-plus points was the Minneapolis Lakers in 1959 against the St. Louis Hawks.
“Just applaud the guys for not quitting," George said. “In this moment, we just stayed together. We stayed confident. We stayed poised. We've given ourselves a chance here, being down 3-1, with an unbelievable opportunity to go play a Game 7 in Boston.”
Uplifted by Joel Embiid’s early return from an appendectomy, the Sixers rebounded from two blowout losses to win Game 5 in Boston and were buoyed by a throwback effort from George to never trail in Game 6. Embiid did his part in Game 6 with 19 points.
The play of the game — and maybe the series — came in the third when Kelly Oubre Jr. blocked Jaylen Brown, Maxey scooped the loose ball and fed to George on the break who then dazzled with a behind-the-back pass to VJ Edgecombe who finished with a thunderous dunk for a 69-54 lead.
A night after the Flyers won in overtime to advance to the second round of the NHL playoffs, Sixers fans cut loose after that slam.
The 76ers will only go as far as Embiid can take them on his injury-prone 7-foot frame and Maxey is a bona fide All-Star. Edgecombe's youthful exuberance made him a fan favorite in Philly and an NBA Rookie of the Year finalist.
Lost in the shuffle at times is the 35-year-old George — in large part this season because of a 25-game suspension for flunking a drug test — who has deferred to the other three Sixers when needed yet can still flash that All-Star form. George hit a team-high five 3s that all stretched the lead and the offense ran through him when Embiid — still recovering from his early April surgery — was on the bench.
George signed with the Sixers in the summer of 2024 on a four-year, $212 million free-agent contract and was expected to form a 1-2 championship punch with Embiid. George was instead derailed by injuries, personal issues and the suspension that had him forgotten at times by fans and in the offense.
“He’s been a great voice, a great leader for all of us,” Maxey said.
George keyed Philadelphia's game of the season, a stunner given how the Celtics toyed with them in their three wins this series.
“This is just one game, that's one story,” 76ers coach Nick Nurse said. “It's nice to win a couple in a row. It's nice to win and play the way we did tonight. But it really does not matter. Each game is it's own game.”
Brown was hampered by three fouls in the first half and finished with 18 points. Jayson Tatum, who missed most of the season with a ruptured Achilles, had 17 points for the Celtics. He briefly left in the third quarter for unspecified treatment to an apparent calf injury.
The Celtics went more than 4 minutes without a point to close the third and the Sixers stormed into the final quarter with an 82-63 lead.
“This is part of the playoffs,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said. “Have an opportunity for Game 7 at home. It's part of our journey. We didn't play well tonight, and we move on to the next game.”
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