Joel Embiid Powers 76ers Past Celtics in Celtic Game Today, 109-100
Joel Embiid scored 34 points and the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Boston Celtics 109-100 in celtic game today, finishing a 3-1 comeback on the road. The win eliminated Boston from the NBA playoffs and sent Philadelphia into the Eastern Conference semi-finals against the New York Knicks.
Embiid and Maxey finish it
Embiid added 12 rebounds and six assists after returning for the last four games following an emergency appendectomy that had ruled him out since 6 April. Tyrese Maxey backed him with 30 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists, then closed the game with eight unanswered points.
Boston had cut the lead to 99-98 after two Neemias Queta free throws. Maxey answered with his run, and Philadelphia pulled away to a 107-98 lead with 15 seconds left.
Boston loses control late
Jaylen Brown led Boston with 33 points, but the Celtics never recovered once Maxey took over the final minutes. Jayson Tatum missed the decider because of a left knee issue, leaving Boston short of one of its top scoring options.
Joel Embiid said after the game, "We started off well and then in the second quarter we kind of relaxed a little" and "Same thing with the start of the fourth." He added, "It means a lot. You can't win alone, you need a team to be able win and everybody doing their job."
Philadelpha breaks a long run
The 76ers became only the 14th team to win a series after trailing 3-1. They also beat Boston in a playoff series for the first time since 1982, ending six straight playoff series losses to the Celtics.
Joe Mazzulla said after the game, "What changed in the series is Joel Embiid came back, and they're a completely different team," and added, "Loved the looks that we got, loved the process that we had, but hate the result." Philadelphia’s return to the next round now comes with a matchup against New York and the weight of a comeback that had not been done often in league history.
