Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid helped lead his team to a thrilling comeback victory over the Boston Celtics, advancing to the Eastern Conference semifinals with a 109-100 win on Saturday night. The Sixers erased a 3-1 deficit in a rare playoff feat
Embiid posted 34 points, 12 rebounds, and six assists, while Tyrese Maxey added 30 points, 11 rebounds, and seven assists. VJ Edgecombe contributed 23 points and Paul George had 13 in the Game 7 triumph.
As the No. 7 seed, Philadelphia will now face the No. 3 New York Knicks starting Monday night in Game 1 of the next round. During postgame celebrations, Embiid delivered a direct message to 76ers fans: keep the home-court energy strong and don’t let Knicks supporters take over the arena.
“I just have a message for our fans,” Embiid said. “Last time we played the Knicks, it felt like Philadelphia was Madison Square Garden East. We’re gonna need the support. Don’t sell your tickets. This is bigger than you. We need you guys.”
Two years ago in the playoffs, Knicks fans showed up in large numbers in Philadelphia. Embiid expressed frustration then, noting Philly’s proud sports-town reputation. On Saturday, he went further by offering to help fans personally.
“Knicks fans travel – they buy tickets. There’s gonna be people who will sell the tickets because they need the money. Don’t do it, we need you guys. We need the support, and we need them to be extremely loud. If you need money, I’ve got you,” said Embiid, who is set to earn $58 million this season.
The victory provided some redemption after Boston had eliminated Philadelphia in Game 7 of the 2023 playoffs. “We had a chance to beat them three years ago, didn’t do it. We came in and got it done,” Maxey noted.
Embiid, who returned in Game 4 after appendectomy surgery, became the first player in NBA history to score 100 points in a playoff series while missing the first three games.
Jaylen Brown led the Celtics with 33 points and nine rebounds. Derrick White added 26 points, including five three-pointers. Boston struggled from beyond the arc, going 13 of 49 for the third straight game.
The Celtics made their earliest playoff exit since the 2020-21 season. They fell to 32-1 when leading a series 3-1.
Boston played without Jayson Tatum, who was ruled out shortly before tipoff due to knee stiffness. The team started a new lineup and fell behind early, trailing by 15 points in the first quarter.