76ers top Celtics 106-93 to force Game 7 Saturday in Boston

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Tyrese Maxey scored 30 points, Paul George scored 23, and a Philadelphia 76ers team that had given up by 32 points twice in this first-round series played their most complete game of the season and forced a Game 7 win with a 106-93 win over Philadelphia. Boston Celtics on Thursday night.

The deciding game will be Saturday in Boston.

Thanks to Joel Embiid’s early return from an appendectomy, the Sixers rebounded from two straight losses to win Game 5 in Boston and were buoyed by a rebound effort from George to maintain a comfortable lead in Game 6. Embiid did his part in Game 6 with 19 points.

The play of the game – and perhaps the series – came in the third period when Kelly Oubre Jr. stopped Jaylen Brown, Maxey scooped up the loose ball and passed it to George on the break who then stunned with a behind-the-back pass to VJ Edgecombe who finished off his game 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 were disengaged after that championship.

The 76ers will only go as far as Embiid can take them on his 7-foot, injury-prone frame, and Maxey is an All-Star. Edgecombe’s youthful exuberance made him a fan favorite in Philadelphia and a finalist for NBA Rookie of the Year.

Lost in the shuffle at times is the 35-year-old George — in large part this season due to a 25-game suspension for failing a drug test — who has been deferred to the Sixers’ other three when needed and yet can still shine in All-Star form. George hit a team-high five 3s that extended the lead and ran the offense through when Embiid — still recovering from surgery he underwent in early April — 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 go 1-2 with Embiid. Instead, George was derailed by injuries, personal issues and a suspension that made him forgotten by fans at times and in crime.

Not against Boston. He’s been key to Philadelphia’s game this season, which is amazing given how the Celtics have played them in their three wins in this series. The Celtics never led in Game 6.

Brown was fouled by three fouls in the first half and finished with 18 points. Jayson Tatum scored 17 points for the Celtics and left in the third quarter with an apparent calf injury.

The Celtics went more than 4 minutes without scoring a point to close the third, and the Sixers entered the fourth quarter with an 82-63 lead.