Instant observations: Sixers beat Celtics in Game 7 thriller behind Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid
May 2, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) looks up after missing a foul shot against the Boston Celtics during the second quarter of game seven of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-Imagn Images Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey got the Sixers their first series win over the Boston Celtics since 1982, scoring 64 combined points to lead the Sixers to a 109-100 win and advance to a second-round series against the New York Knicks. Here’s what I saw.
A big game from the big man in a big moment A lot of Sixers fans have been traumatized by the number of weird things and random role players who have dismantled the franchise in big games over the years. So when Jayson Tatum was ruled out for Saturday’s pivotal Game 7, the reaction around Philadelphia was less excited than you would have expected. Surely, some random role player was going to hand you the awful loss this time around, and surely, the Sixers were going to have a letdown against a team they were now expected to beat.
The level of poise Philadelphia showed in the first 12 minutes is unlike anything I’ve seen from a Joel Embiid-led team in a big moment. It started, naturally, with the big man himself. With the Celtics opting to start Luka Garza in an attempt to drag Embiid out of the paint with pick-and-pop threes, the big man had a matchup to hunt as soon as the game tipped off.
Early on, it was less about the mismatch in the post and more about getting Embiid his looks from the elbows, and he finally rediscovered his touch on jumpers after clanging lots of shots off the rim in his first three games of the series. But Embiid’s full arsenal was on display in Game 7. The Sixers did an excellent job of finding Embiid on the block against mismatches of all kinds, and better yet, Embiid was methodical once he got the ball on a deep catch, waiting out the Celtics doubles without ever seeming bothered by them.
That was one area where I thought Jayson Tatum’s absence hit Boston — his additional size and athleticism pose problems when the Celtics flood the zone, while this group did almost nothing to bother Embiid in the post. Kelly Oubre, VJ Edgecombe, and others got a few free ones on back cuts, and when the Celtics couldn’t pressure Philadelphia’s star center, he was getting fouled or scoring two. We were right back to the old playoff days in the first half, with Embiid’s first trip to the bench completely unraveling the team.
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