Celtics Face Game 7 Without Tatum as Maxey Propels Sixers to Brink of Upset

Key facts

• The Celtics and 76ers are playing their ninth playoff series to go seven games, the 23rd overall between the teams.
• Boston led the series 3-1 and held a 13-point lead in Game 5 before losing two straight.
• Jayson Tatum is ruled out for Game 7 due to left knee soreness.
• Tyrese Maxey scored 30 points with zero turnovers in Game 6, the most such games by a point guard in NBA postseason history.
• Maxey is the first Sixer since Julius Erving in 1982 to record 30 points, 5 assists and zero turnovers in a playoff game.
• The Celtics have scored 28 more points per 100 possessions in wins (129.1) than in losses (101.1) this series.
• Joel Embiid has been the screener's defender on 62 ball-screens set for Tatum, the seventh most common combo in the playoffs.

A Series Turned on Its Head

The Boston Celtics were in control, up 3-1 in their first-round playoff series against the Philadelphia 76ers and leading by 13 points in the second half of Game 5. They looked poised to reach the conference semifinals for the ninth time in ten years. Then the script flipped. The Celtics have scored just 104 points over their last 123 offensive possessions, an average of 85 per 100, and now face a winner-take-all Game 7 on Saturday without their star forward, Jayson Tatum. Philadelphia, a wild card all season—never fully healthy or consistent but always capable of elite play—has forced the decisive game with a dominant win at home in Game 6. The winner advances to face the New York Knicks in the conference semifinals. The stakes could not be higher.

Maxey's Historic Night Forces Decisive Game

Tyrese Maxey delivered a performance for the ages in Game 6, scoring 30 points on 11-of-22 shooting, including 3-of-5 from three-point range, while dishing out five assists and committing zero turnovers. It was the most 30-point, zero-turnover game by a point guard in NBA postseason history, and he became the first Sixer since Julius Erving in 1982 to record 30 points, five assists and no turnovers in a playoff game. Maxey had called the team's Game 4 performance a “disgrace” and “unacceptable,” and he made amends. “Fans were amazing, man,” Maxey said after Game 6. “They showed up and they showed out, so we appreciate them for that. I feel like they deserved the win and we came through.” Head coach Nick Nurse praised Maxey's growth: “It’s a completely different game for him. I think there’s so much more reading of what’s there. … I think he’s processing that better with some more games.

Tatum's Absence Reshapes Boston's Offense

The Celtics' offense has been the series' defining variable. In their three wins, Boston scored 129.1 points per 100 possessions; in their three losses, that number plummeted to 101.1—a difference of 28 points. Three-point shooting has been the key: the Celtics shot better than 36% from beyond the arc in all three wins and below 30% in all three losses. Game 6 also saw their worst free-throw rate (9-for-16) and offensive rebounding percentage (16.7%) of the series. Now, with Tatum ruled out due to left knee soreness, the Celtics must redirect their offense. Tatum had been the primary ball-handler in pick-and-rolls, with Joel Embiid defending those screens on 62 occasions—the seventh most common combination in the playoffs, despite Embiid playing only three of six games. Without Tatum, Boston's scoring burden falls on the remaining roster, and the team's already fragile shooting rhythm faces a stern test.

Embiid's Two-Way Impact and the Curse Narrative

Joel Embiid's presence on both ends has been pivotal. As the screener's defender, he has disrupted Boston's pick-and-roll game, and his offensive contributions have been central to Philadelphia's survival. Yet the Sixers have long been haunted by a sense of cosmic misfortune: no championships in over 40 years, no Finals appearances in 25 years, and a litany of injuries, front-office drama, and crushing playoff defeats. Many fans believe the franchise is cursed. But curses are meant to be broken, and the early stages of that shift may have begun on draft night in 2020, when Philadelphia selected Maxey out of Kentucky. Nearly six years later, his imprint on the franchise has been indelible. Maxey's talent and leadership are big reasons the Sixers forced a Game 7, and his evolution as a playmaker—processing when to shoot, drive, or pass—has been central to the team's resurgence.

What's at Stake in Game 7

Saturday's Game 7 in Boston carries immense weight for both franchises. For the Celtics, a loss would mean squandering a 3-1 lead and missing the conference semifinals for the first time in nearly a decade, a bitter end to a season that promised more. For the 76ers, a win would break the cycle of playoff heartbreak and set up a matchup with the Knicks, offering a chance to exorcise decades of futility. The series has been defined by swings in Boston's offensive efficiency and Philadelphia's resilience. With Tatum sidelined, the Celtics must find scoring from elsewhere, while the Sixers will lean on Maxey's hot hand and Embiid's dominance. The outcome will hinge on which team can execute under the highest pressure.

The bottom line

• The Celtics and 76ers will play Game 7 on Saturday after Philadelphia forced the decider with a Game 6 win.
• Jayson Tatum is out for Game 7 due to left knee soreness, leaving Boston without its leading scorer.
• Tyrese Maxey's 30-point, zero-turnover performance in Game 6 was historic, matching a feat not seen since Julius Erving in 1982.
• Boston's offense has been wildly inconsistent: 129.1 points per 100 possessions in wins versus 101.1 in losses.
• Joel Embiid has been a key defender on Tatum's pick-and-rolls, but now faces a different offensive challenge without Tatum.
• The winner advances to face the New York Knicks in the conference semifinals.