Philadelphia 76ers storm back in series to force Game 7 vs. Celtics

After starting out with a 3-1 series lead needing just one win to close it out, the Boston Celtics find their backs against the wall as the Philadelphia 76ers picked up wins in Games 5 and 6 to even their first round playoff series at three games a piece. The Sixers handled most of the Game 6 matchup against the Celtics on Thursday night, so much so that the starters for Boston found themselves on the bench for majority of the fourth quarter. Having won the first two games on the road in Philadelphia, the Celtics were the betting favorites in Game 6, and seemed to have things under control in the first quarter despite an inefficient shooting start.

Things would go downhill from that point on as the Sixers controlled the second and third quarters, while the Celtics battled foul trouble and all of Philadelphia's stars carried them in the middle frames of the game. Boston would get the upperhand in the fourth quarter, but it would be too little, too late, as the starters sat on the bench and watched the energized second unit compete until the end. For Philadelphia, their trio of stars: Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and Paul George carried them to victory on offense, combining 74 of their team's 106 points on the night, but it wasn't just their offense.

Once again, the Sixers defense carried them as well, as they held the Celtics under 30% from 3-point range, which was also the second time that Boston scored under 100 points in two of their three losses. For Boston to end the momentum of Philadelphia, they're going to have to step up defensively and shut down the pace of Joel Embiid, who has completely changed the swing of the series. They'll also have to get more efficient from shooting, everywhere on the court, from 3-point range to the free throw line, the Celtics need to have their offense break their two-game slump in order to hold off the surge of Philadelphia in a win-or-go-home situation.

What's next: vs. Philadelphia 76ers, Saturday, May 2nd, 7:30PM It's a win-or-go-home situation for both teams in Game 7 on Saturday night, the Celtics will need their superstars in Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown to step up and carry the offense, while hoping the supporting cast led by Derrick White and Payton Pritchard. The bigger points of emphasis for Boston will be to see their defensive intensity pick up, especially in their coverage of Embiid, who has completely flipped the momentum of the series since his return from an emergency appendectomy, putting the Sixers firmly back into the series, looking to spoil a great season for the Celtics who finished with the No.