Sixers eliminate the Celtics in wild Game 7, led by Maxey and Embiid; Sam Hinkie chimes in; second round playoff schedule

Joel Embiid shook his coach’s hand and pumped his fist and then half-walked, half-limped toward midcourt and wrapped his arms around Jaylen Brown. He pulled the Celtics superstar in close and whispered something into his ear. Soon, his son was in his arms, and the cameras were all around him and he was smiling and shrugging and trying to make sense of the most improbable and glorious moment of his career.

Barely a week removed from entering the postseason cold off a 17-day layoff, roughly four weeks after an emergency appendectomy seemed likely to end his season, less than a week after the Celtics took a series lead they’d never before squandered, Embiid and the Sixers somehow were still standing. The concrete credit goes to a 109-100 victory in a bruising Game 7 at TD Garden. On a more abstract level, it goes to a level of resilience we’ve rarely seen from these Sixers, one that should force some reexamination of who we believe Embiid is.

Whatever happens from here, Embiid and the Sixers have accomplished something significant, something defining. This was a signature individual performance and a signature team victory unlike any that Embiid has delivered in his decade-plus in town. The Celtics had never lost a series where they’d led three games to one. Embiid had never before won a Game 7 in three previous tries. He entered this postseason having lost seven of the 10 elimination games he’d faced.

After eliminating the Boston Celtics, Joel Embiid and the 76ers move on to face the New York Knicks in the second round of the NBA playoffs.

Game 1 will take place Monday night at Madison Square Garden in New York City, as the Knicks have home-court advantage.

Here's the full schedule:

The Celtic that jump-started their surge to get back in this game was ... Hugo Gonzalez?

Though the fiery rookie did not score, he was all over the place for Boston as part of a "bench" unit that erased the Sixers' 15-point advantage and briefly took the lead while Joel Embiid rested for the Sixers.

"Bench" is in quotes because of the unconventional starting lineup that Joe Mazzulla threw out there at tipoff for this Game 7. It will be fascinating to see who he goes with at the top of the third quarter.

Joel Embiid continued his stretch of stellar play in this best-of-seven-series against the Boston Celtics. His 76ers lead 55-50 at intermission because of it.

The 76ers star scored 18 points on 7-of-12 shooting in the first half and controlled the pace and tone of the game when he was on the floor. The Sixers' only struggle was figuring out the minutes when he sat.

Derrick White quietly played just as well for the Celtics, producing 19 points and knocking down four three-pointers after struggling from the field in the series' first six games. He was followed by Jaylen Brown's 13 points.

The 76ers had a narrow lead on the Celtics midway through the second quarter, but it could have been bigger if their defense was functioning to its full potential.

Coach Nick Nurse and the Sixers know its critical to win the minutes when Joel Embiid goes to the bench, yet he continues to throw Andre Drummond into the fray.

The big man has been attacked on defense the entire series, with the Celtics throwing him in screen-and-roll sets and feasting.

After struggling in Game 3 of this first-round series, VJ Edgecombe has slowly come back to life. He scored 10 points in a Game 5 win and played a larger part in Game 6, scoring 14 points and hitting three big three-pointers.

That trend has continued in the decisive Game 7 here at TD Garden, where the Sixers lead 32-19 to end the first quarter.

Joel Embiid leads the team in scoring with 10 points, but Edgecombe is close behind with nine points on 4-of-5 shooting.

The Boston Celtics' starting lineup was sure to look for different with Jayson Tatum out because of left knee stiffness.

But coach Joe Mazzull threw a curve ball to start Game 7 at TD Garden, putting together a group that has played zero minutes as a unit this season.

The lineup was so rare in large part to the insertion of Ron Harper Jr., Luka Garza and Baylor Scheierman. The assumption here was that Payton Pritchard, Sam Hauser and Neemias Queta would likely play alongside regular starters Derrick White and Jaylen Brown.

Jayson Tatum will miss a critical Game 7 against the 76ers here at TD Garden with left knee stiffness.

Tatum previously missed the final minutes of his team's Game 6 loss to the Sixers at Xfinity Mobile Arena after experiencing what was thought to be a left calf issue.

Tatum flexed the leg and walked out to the locker room and returned with padding on his left leg. He did not return to the game and coach Joe Mazzulla decided to pull his starters with just under 10 minutes remaining in the game.

Prior to this series, the 76ers had not played the Boston Celtics with Jayson Tatum on the court in the 2025-26 season.

Now things will revert back to that matchup to some extent. Of course, the Sixers had their own injuries to Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Paul George, who also missed 25 games for suspension.

Tatum's absence doesn't mean the Sixers will automatically pull this thing out in Game 7. These teams played tight all year despite the Sixers going 3-1 in those games, which all shaded toward the earlier section of the season.

The return of seven-foot tall Joel Embiid has affected the Celtics' last three games in more ways than show up on a stat sheet. But the stats can still illuminate. 

The 76ers have averaged five more assists per game with Embiid, who has averaged 7.3 himself. Those assists have translated to points, with the Sixers averaging 4.3 more points per game. They have also held the Celtics to 3.3 fewer points per game, a total swing of 7.6 points in the 76ers favor. 

Embiid has also affected the Celtics defensive rhythm. While they have averaged almost exactly the same number of personal fouls per game, more of those have been shooting fouls. The Sixers have taken 7.6 more free throws per game with Embiid, who has averaged 8.7 himself. Embiid is a notoriously good free throw shooter, and he helped raise their percentage by 18 points, from 70% to 88%. 

There have been 301 best-of-seven playoff series in NBA history where a team has gained a 3-1 advantage, according to Land of Basketball.com. That includes three that have been completed so far this year — but not the two in progress, including the Sixers. 

The team that is ahead has won Game 5 60% of the time. When they lose that game, they come back to win Game 6 71% of the time, including Friday night when the Lakers beat the Rockets to advance to the second round. That means the trailing team only has a 12% chance of forcing a Game 7. 

So it seems the Sixers have bent the odds in their favor.

The Celtics could be without one of their biggest stars in Saturday’s Game 7, as Jayson Tatum is now listed as questionable to play with left knee stiffness.

This appearance on the NBA’s official injury report comes after Tatum experienced left calf tightness in Game 6, and did not return to the game in the fourth quarter once Boston emptied its bench. Tatum was not included on the Celtics’ initial injury report released Friday evening.

Tatum, who returned in March from an Achilles tear suffered during last year’s playoffs, is averaging 23.3 points, 10.7 rebounds, and 6.8 assists in the series’ six games.

Will Game 7 simply come down to three-point shooting?

Perhaps.

It’s no secret that the Celtics bomb away from beyond the arc, and their efficiency has been a significant factor in this series. In Boston’s three losses, it has shot 26%, 28.2% and 29.3% from three point range, respectively.

The 76ers have stolen two games on the road in their first-round series against the Boston Celtics, and they picked up both wins wearing their home white jerseys.

Someone in the Sixers franchise was aware of that fact heading into Game 6 at Xfinity Mobile Arena and made an executive decision to scrap the plan to go with a throwback look at home after they lost twice in South Philly in their black throwbacks. The decision paid off as the Sixers evened the series and forced Game 7 in Boston.

You'd think the person who made the call would boast a little bit following the team's most recent win. But the Sixers are keeping mum and playing coy about how that decision came to pass.

VJ Edgecombe is already quite familiar with playing inside TD Garden.

And shining in this building.

It is where the Sixers rookie had his historic 34-point NBA debut in October. And where, in Game 2 of this first-round series, he became the youngest player to record 30 points and 10 rebounds in a playoff game. And where he went viral twice — first for diving into the stands (and inadvertently kicking a woman sitting courtside in the face) in a March 1 loss, then for winking at a television camera during his team’s Game 2 victory.

Sixers rookie VJ Edgecombe has struggled at times in his team's first-round series against the Boston Celtics, leading to a few moments in Games 3 and 4 where he appeared unsure of himself.

But his temperament was completely different in the following two games, as he hit a few big three-pointers in the Game 5 win and dunked home a behind-the-back pass from Paul George in one of the best sequences of the season.

Edgecombe's opportunities were down but he was also more efficient, scoring 24 points on 8-of-19 shooting combined in Games 5 and 6.

Sixers fans are in high spirits as they enter Game 7 with a chance to defeat their hated rival Boston Celtics in a playoff series for the first time since 1982.

But the events of these current NBA playoffs might have added a little dirt in an old wound.

The Toronto Raptors defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers to force Game 7 in their first-round series with an RJ Barrett three-pointer that bounced high over the rim and in.

Paul George's age has become a big topic of conversation lately because of the inspired defense he has played against the Boston Celtics' star wing tandem.

George has hounded Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, forcing them into tough shots and finding ways to contest without fouling, which is a challenge in today's NBA.

George has held up his end of the bargain on the other side of the floor as well, averaging 17.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 3.6 assists.

Joel Embiid is still telling his brain that he “feels amazing” with three games under his belt following his appendectomy about three weeks ago.

It is too simplistic to say the return of the player who accepted his MVP trophy the last time these teams met in the postseason is the sole reason for this series’ shift. But everybody has readjusted to an Embiid-centric playing style, a process All-Star point guard Tyrese Maxey acknowledged takes about one game.

The Sixers are using ball movement and pace to generate terrific shots, with role players cutting and spacing the floor and Embiid finding them with his passing when the double-teams arrive. Maxey has resumed his aggression with the ball in his hands, by better processing reads and when to get downhill, shoot, or kick a pass out to the perimeter. That includes directing Embiid, such as when their two-man game should move from the big man receiving the ball in the mid-post to the block.

Joel Embiid's return has turned around the Sixers' playoff series against the Boston Celtics.

It's a dramatic turnaround for both the Sixers and Embiid, whose career has been marred at times by a series of unlucky injuries and ailments, including a broken face and Bell's palsy.

But one fan came up with a theory about why this time might be different, which quickly spread across Philly social media.

The Sixers-Celtics series will end one way or another tonight, with the winner moving on to face the New York Knicks.

If the Sixers win, Game 1 of that series would take place Monday night at Madison Square Garden in New York City, as the Knicks would have home-court advantage. The start time of the game has yet to be determined.

Here's where things stand elsewhere in the Eastern Conference:

For most, tonight's Kentucky Derby is the main course. But for fans in Philly, it's just the appetizer leading into Game 7 between the Sixers and Boston Celtics.

Tonight's game will air on NBC after the 152nd Run for the Roses, a coveted spot practically guaranteeing a large audience as the Sixers attempt to eliminate the Celtics from the playoffs for the first time since 1982.

With Mike Trico about a 1,000 miles away working the Kentucky Derby, calling Saturday night's game will be Noah Eagle alongside Reggie Miller and Jamal Crawford. Zora Stephenson will report from TD Garden.