76ers advance past Celtics for first time since 1982

The Philadelphia 76ers were down and out after the Boston Celtics took a 3-1 series lead. The 76ers were 0-18 all-time when trailing 3-1 in a series, but the team rallied back thanks to a healthy Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey’s late Game 7 heroics to finally defeat the Celtics in a playoff series for the first time since 1982.

COMEBACK COMPLETE!

The Sixers DEFEAT the Celtics in Game 7 to come back from a 3-1 deficit

Joel Embiid:
34 points on 12-of-26 shooting
12 rebounds
6 assists

The 76ers were 0-18 in Playoff History when training 3-1 in a series before tonight! pic.twitter.com/o9kAyKnUYj

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) May 3, 2026

Embiid’s return from an appendectomy came at the perfect time for the Sixers, while Jayson Tatum’s knee injury that kept him out of Game 7 was just what Philadelphia needed on Saturday night to finish the job. Philadelphia’s star center was a force, changing his narrative in a single game by recording 34 points, 12 rebounds, and 6 assists to close it out.

With Embiid in some discomfort towards the end of the game and the Celtics getting within a possession, Maxey took over, scoring his biggest points of the night to get to 30. He also added 11 rebounds and 7 assists. VJ Edgecombe rounded out the scoring with 23 of his own.

Jaylen Brown did everything he could to lead the Celtics in Tatum’s absence, but his 33 points wouldn’t be enough to get the job done. Derrick White added 26 points, while Neemias Queta chipped in 17 points off the bench.

The story of the game from the Celtics side was Joe Mazzula’s perplexing decision to start a lineup that hadn’t played together all year. Philadelphia dominated the game early in those minutes, and Boston never fully regained the momentum. There could be plenty of questions in Boston after relinquishing the 3-1 lead to their rivals.

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