The Philadelphia 76ers advanced to the Eastern semi-finals for the first time since 2023 after trailing 3-1 to the Boston Celtics; the victory marks the first time in 42 years that the Sixers have beaten the Celtics in a playoff series
Last Updated: 03/05/26 9:14am
Joel Embiid inspired the Philadelphia 76ers to a sensational comeback win over a Jayson Tatum-less Boston Celtics to reach the NBA Eastern Conference semi-finals.
Embiid finished with 34 points, 12 rebounds and six assists. Tyrese Maxey added 30 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists, while V.J. Edgecombe sunk 23 points and Paul George with 13.
Philadelphia will visit the New York Knicks on Monday night in Game One of the second round.
“So obviously, coming back down 3-1 is tough. I understand it because we just did it. And then, obviously, missing three of those games. Really because the first game was kind of just me getting back to myself. It’s tough, but it feels good to win,” said Embiid.
“Obviously, we got a bigger goal in mind, but finally beating these guys, I feel pretty good.”
The Sixers franchise, including its time as Syracuse Nationals, improved to 2-10 in road Game 7s. Its only other win came in 1982 at the Boston Garden.
Jaylen Brown led Boston with 33 points and nine rebounds. Derrick White had 26 points, including five three-pointers. Neemias Queta finished with 17 points and 12 rebounds.
The Celtics struggled from the three-point line for the third straight game, finishing 13 of 49.
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.
The Celtics played without Tatum after he was ruled out about 90 minutes before tipoff with left knee stiffness.
Philadelphia led for all but 31 seconds in the game, increasing a five-point halftime edge to 18 points in the third quarter.
“I’ve always said it, you can’t win alone,” added Embiid. “You need a team to be able to win and everybody doing their job. I think the way we’re playing right now, we’re in sync offensively, defensively.
“I think guys understand what they have to do and that’s beautiful to see. And that what I’ve always wanted, playing winning basketball, sharing the ball, defensively, everybody being locked in on what they had to do, and that’s how you win.”
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