Tyrese Maxey sparks the 76ers’ Game
6 surge with 30 points, forcing a Game 7 vs the Celtics
[May 01, 2026]
By DAN GELSTON
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.
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Philadelphia 76ers' Vj Edgecombe, left, goes up for a dunk past
Boston Celtics' Jaylen Brown, center, and Luka Garza during the
first half of Game 6 in a first-round NBA basketball playoff series
Thursday, April 30, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
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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