04/30/26 09:42:00
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04/30 21:41 CDT Tyrese Maxey sparks the 76ers' Game 6 surge with 30 points,
forcing a Game 7 vs the Celtics
Tyrese Maxey sparks the 76ers' Game 6 surge with 30 points, forcing a Game 7 vs
the Celtics
By DAN GELSTON
AP Sports Writer
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.
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 keep a comfortable lead 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 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.
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.
Not against Boston. He keyed Philadelphia's game of the season, a stunner given
how the Celtics toyed with them in their three wins this series. The Celtics
never led in Game 6.
Brown was hampered by three fouls in the first half and finished with 18
points. Jayson Tatum had 17 for the Celtics and left in third quarter with 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.
___
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba
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