How did the Sixers force Game 7 against the Celtics? Joel Embiid’s return, improved rebounding, and more.

BOSTON — Joel Embiid delivered a nifty behind-the-back pass to Kelly Oubre Jr., for a cutting dunk, before Oubre then swatted a Jaylen Brown attempt at the other end of the floor. That got the 76ers back in transition, with Paul George then dropping his own wrap-around bounce pass to VJ Edgecombe for the two-handed dunk.

That third-quarter sequence against the Boston Celtics was pure basketball euphoria for Sixers fans, sending the home crowd into an ear-piercing frenzy reminiscent of the last time these teams met in the playoffs in 2023.

Somehow, this Sixers season is still alive as the calendar flips to May, following an emphatic 106-93 Game 6 victory Thursday night. The Sixers clawed back from a three-games-to-one deficit in this best-of-seven series to force Game 7 Saturday night at TD Garden, with the chance to eliminate this rival from the postseason for the first time since 1982.

“Obviously, there’s going to be a lot of haymakers being thrown in Game 7,” Oubre said Thursday, “because it’s win or go home for both of us now. But the pressure’s on the other team. They’re supposed to be where they are, but we want to come and show people for the future where we’re supposed to be at, too.”

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The publicly expressed confidence embodies the Sixers’ dramatic vibe — and on-court — transformation since a dreadful Game 4 blowout defeat less than a week ago.

They have leaned into superstition by ditching the black throwback jerseys, which they announced they would wear for all home playoff games, for their white uniforms that they have now donned for all three victories in this series. As the pregame locker room period open to the media wrapped Thursday, reserve forward Trendon Watford walked over to a locker-room speaker to set the mood with a playlist. When Embiid hit the deck as the Sixers built their second-half lead, he mimicked Oubre’s pushup celebration as his teammate pumped his arms in the air in approval.

“I’m just enjoying everything that I can,” Embiid said. “It’s fun winning, so got to keep this going.”

That all leads to a Saturday matchup that George called an “unbelievable opportunity.” Embiid echoed the sentiment, that the Sixers can accomplish “something special” against an opponent to which he is “tired of losing.”

How the heck did the Sixers turn this series around? And how can they pull off one more improbable victory, to advance to a second-round series against the also-hated New York Knicks?

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.

“He feels like he’s pretty commanding at the offensive end,” Nurse said of Embiid, who totaled 19 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists in Game 6. “ … He was giving us some place to throw it. I think it still gives our guys a lot of confidence. I think we’re going to get a pretty decent shot when it’s in his hands, either through him or him creating something for somebody else.”

Yet Nurse most praised Embiid’s increased impact on the defensive end, where the big man has been limited in recent seasons because he purposefully does not jump as much to protect his surgically repaired left knee. The coach said Embiid did not allow more traditional Boston center Neemias Queta to get behind him on rolls, and did a “solid” job at covering stretch bigs Nikola Vučević and Luka Garza on pick-and-pop actions. Embiid’s interior presence also has helped curtail the Celtics’ penetration into the lane for kick-out three-pointers.

“He created enough traffic in the paint,” Nurse said, “with just his sheer size.”

Still missing is Embiid’s shooting touch. He called his 3-of-10 mark from the floor in the first half “terrible.” Several of those attempts, Embiid and Nurse mentioned, have rimmed in and out.

“At some point, I’m bound to have an extremely efficient night,” Embiid said. “So hopefully it’s next game. … These are some of the shots that I make in my sleep, especially from midrange. Just got to keep shooting them.”

After Game 5, Maxey said he was “just tired of giving up rebounds, to be completely honest with you.”

The 6-foot-2 guard had corralled 10 in that victory. And the Sixers mirrored their star in Game 6, allowing only three offensive rebounds and two second-chance points through the meaningful minutes before Boston emptied the bench.

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Crashing the glass was a topic entering this series and throughout, including before Game 6. On those long rebounds off three-pointers that are more difficult to calculate and chase, Nurse said it often feels like the Celtics are a half-second quicker to the ball.

Not so in Game 6. And those rebounds came from all position groups. Oubre had nine, Edgecombe had eight, and even reserve Justin Edwards had five in 10 minutes.

“The effort of getting back, guarding the ball, and blocking out needs to be at a tremendously high level,” Nurse said. “I think whichever team does that in this series wins, and that’ll be the goal.”

After the Sixers went 4-of-23 from three-point range in a Game 1 blowout loss, Edgecombe said “there’s no way” that number can be that low against a Celtics team that “shoots the lights out.”

That means efficiency and output — on both ends. The Sixers shot more three-pointers than the Celtics in Game 5 (42 to 39) and kept pace in the meaningful minutes of Game 6, with 25 attempts through three quarters versus Boston’s 28. Reserve guard Quentin Grimes said after Game 5 that the Sixers are targeting shooting 40 three-pointers per game, about five more than their regular-season average.

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And in the Celtics’ three losses in this series, they have shot 26%, 28.2% and 29.3% from beyond the arc, respectfully.

Though Nurse said the Sixers are aiming to better contest those attempts — even from the side or behind — there is a “make-or-miss league” element to those numbers. It is possible the pendulum swings, and the Celtics get hot from deep in Game 7.

But the Sixers also missed a bevy of wide-open three-pointers in Game 6, especially early on. When Embiid, who is 2-of-16 from beyond the arc in his three games this series, finally sank one Thursday, he celebrated more enthusiastically than normal.

The Sixers’ star production in Game 6 — Maxey’s 30 points, George’s 23 points and excellent perimeter defense, plus Embiid’s stat line — was a glimpse of what they all envisioned when George signed as a free agent in the summer of 2024. With a dash of Edgecombe athleticism, of course.

But key role players have contributed in each of the past two wins.

In Game 5, it was Grimes, who totaled 18 points and provided the definitive defensive possession when he pressured Brown the length of the court.

In Game 6, it was Oubre. He finished with 14 points on 6-of-11 shooting, thriving while cutting off Embiid. He strutted down the court when he drew Brown’s third foul in the first half. And he was in the thick of that sensational third-quarter sequence.

“I sent him a text last night,” Maxey said, “just saying, ‘Listen, bro. You’ve been great this series, and your time is coming. I feel a big game coming.’ … His energy has been fantastic.”

The Sixers almost got another bench jolt when backup center Andre Drummond nailed his latest corner three-pointer at the third-quarter buzzer. It was called off because the ball had not yet left his hand when time expired, but the crowd still went wild. It was that kind of night.