Joel Embiid, 76ers knock out second-seeded Celtics in NBA Playoffs

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Joel Embiid had 34 points, 12 rebounds and six assists, ‌and Tyrese Maxey added 30 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Philadelphia 76ers to a 109-100 victory over the host Boston ⁠⁠Celtics in Game 7 of ⁠⁠their Eastern Conference first-round playoff series.

The 76ers won the final three games in the series on Saturday after losing the first, third and fourth games.

It was the first time in franchise history that Philadelphia overcame a 3-1 series deficit, and the 14th time in league history for any ⁠⁠team to recover from such a position.

“We handled playing [in a hostile environment] just enough, but I think it was really good for us to experience it,” 76ers coach Nick Nurse said after the game.

Philadelphia, seeded seventh, will visit the third-seeded New York Knicks on Monday in Game 1 of their second-round series.

“What changed in the series is Joel ⁠⁠Embiid came back, and they’re a completely different team,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said.

Embiid took the court for the last three games after not playing since April 6, as he required an emergency appendectomy during a team trip through Texas.

Second-seeded Boston trailed 99-98 following two Neemias Queta free throws, but Maxey scored the next eight points to put Philadelphia up 107-98 with 15 seconds left.

Philadelphia received 23 points from rookie VJ Edgecombe. Paul George added 13. ‌‌The 76ers’ bench totalled three points – all by Quentin Grimes.

Boston’s Jayson Tatum was ruled out of the game because of stiffness in his left knee. He left Game 6 with 4:03 remaining in the third quarter due to a left leg injury.

Tatum averaged 23.3 points and 10.7 rebounds per contest in six playoff games this season. The six-time All-Star forward averaged 21.8 points and 10.0 boards in 16 regular-season games after returning on March 6 from a devastating ruptured right Achilles tendon last May in the playoffs.

Jaylen Brown led Boston with 33 points and added nine rebounds. Derrick White finished with 26 points, and Queta had 17 points and a team-high 12 rebounds off the bench. Celtics starters ⁠⁠Baylor Scheierman, Luka Garza and Ron Harper Jr failed to score. Reserves Payton Pritchard added 13 points and ⁠⁠Sam Hauser contributed 11.

The Celtics shot 26.5 – (13 of 49) from 3-point range and 39.8 – (37 of 93) from the field.

“We’re always going to play to the strength of our team,” Mazzulla said.

The Sixers made 11 of 28 (39.3 percent) from long range and 47.6 percent (39 of 82) from the field.

“In the last two games and portions of this one, we guarded the ball ⁠⁠very well,” Nurse said. “We weren’t giving them great looks. That probably, for the whole series, was the big key.”

Philadelphia scored the game’s first nine points and led 30-15 following an Embiid jumper with 1:55 left in the ⁠⁠opening quarter. The 76ers were up 32-19 after 12 minutes.

Boston scored 18 of the first ⁠⁠22 points in the second quarter and had their first and only lead, 37-36, after a Pritchard 3-pointer with 6:52 left in the first half. Philadelphia rallied to take a 55-50 halftime advantage.

An 8-0 run gave Philadelphia a 63-52 lead, and the 76ers were up 84-66 after an Edgecombe 3-pointer with 2:24 remaining in the third. It ‌‌was 88-75 after three quarters.

Boston began the fourth quarter with a 16-4 run to cut their deficit to one point, 92-91, with 7:59 to play. The 76ers led 95-94 with 5:52 left.

“[The Celtics] just played in transition for about 12 straight minutes, and then we finally got them ‌‌stopped ‌‌to get in their sets,” Nurse said.

“Defensively, that was the difference for us in the last three minutes. We had them in halfcourt until maybe the final 90 seconds when they were just coming up and firing.”

Mazzulla said, “Loved the looks that we got, loved the process that we had, but hate the result.”