Boston Celtics 95 vs 86 Philadelphia 76ers summary: stats and highlights | NBA Game 6

The Boston Celtics forced Game 7 with their backs against the wall in Philadelphia, holding off the Sixers from the Wells Fargo Center on Thursday night. Marcus Smart led the Celtics with 22, but it was Jayson Tatum who finished off Philly in the 95-86 victory.

Williams gets the start

Joe Mazzulla went with a big line up for the first time in the series, starting Robert Williams instead of Derrick White and it worked wonders on the defensive end. He floated around the paint making life difficult for Joel Embiid and James Harden, but it was the other defensive specialist who got Boston going on the offensive end.

Marcus Smart started the game with a couple quick threes, and helped Boston get out to a double digit lead just four minutes into the game. Malcolm Brogdon came off the bench and scored 11 first quarter points. Boston needed all the help they could get with Jayson Tatum going through the worst shooting start of his entire career.

Tatum went 0/11 from the field, and stretched his first quarter missed shot streak to 19 FGs dating back to Game 4. Despite his shooting struggles, he had 7 rebounds and 6 assists at half. Boston’s lead stretched out to 16 in the second quarter as Embiid and Harden went just 6/19 from the field in the first half. Embiid ended the night with 26 and Harden had 13 on 4/16 shooting. 

Tatum takes over in the fourth

Boston had control of the game until the third quarter when Harden started creating off the penetration. He, Embiid and Tyrese Maxey led the comeback charge and took a two point lead to set up a skin tight fourth quarter.

For the first eight minutes of the last quarter no team had a lead larger than two points, but Jayson Tatum was saving the best for last after a horrific first three quarters. He came into the fourth with just three points, and ended the night with 19 after catching fire from downtown, hitting four in the final 4:14 of the game.

Boston ended the game on a 14-3 run to quiet the crowd at the Wells Fargo Center and set up an all-or-nothing Game 7 in Boston.

Jayson Tatum is one of the best basketball players in the world, and he knows it. The shots didn't fall in the first 36 minutes, but he made it happen when it counted. 

Tatum had 3 points in the first three quarters, but kept shooting and they finally started falling in the fourth quarter. He stuck four threes and had 16 in the fourth to force a Game 7. 

After the worst shooting start of his career, Jayson Tatum stuck to the script and ended up winning the game for the Celtics. 

The Sixers made a big comeback in the third quarter, but Brown was there to calm down the Wells Fargo with this and one. 

Brogdon had 11 in the first quarter and helped the Celtics get up by 16 in the second quarter. 

Tatum started the game 0/11 and had just a point at halftime, but Marcus Smart had 15 to keep Boston in the lead.

Neither Brown, nor Tatum had a great first half, but the Celtics defense locked Embiid and Harden down in the opening two quarters. 

Robert Williams got the start in Philly for the first time in this series and he had a huge impact on the defensive end and chipped in 10 points and 9 rebounds in the win. 

The Celtics came into Philly against the ropes, and came out swinging from the tip. Marcus Smart is always a lock down defender but he came out and set the tone on the offensive end with a couple quick threes. 

IT'S ALL OVER!!! THE CELTICS FORCE A GAME 7 AFTER A HUGE FOURTH QUARTER FROM JAYSON TATUM!!!

Springer with the jumper in the lane and that should do it. 

TATUM WITH THE SENTENCER!!! HE DRILLS A THREE BALL, HIS FOURTH OF THE QUARTER!!!

Timeout SIxers with 36.6 to go in the fourth!

Timeout Celtics who got possession after a missed lay up by Harden. Just 1:31 to go in the fourth quarter. 

Tatum strings his third three of the quarter and the lead is up to eight with under 2 to play!

The call was reversed but Philly keeps the ball after Harden came down with possession. They get it from the sideline with 1.7 to go on the shot clock and Melton missed the baseline jumper .

Horford just got called for a foul on Harden's drive to the bucket but Boston thinks he got all ball and they will challenge with 2:11 to go in the fourth. 

Smart goes into the body of Harris and hits the floater in traffic. 

Brogdon sends Maxey to the line and he hits one of two FTs with 2:53 to go. 

Tatum steps back and pulls up from downtown for a second straight three ball to silence this crowd!

Timeout Philly with 3:34 to go in the fourth!

TATUM WITH A THREE BALL FINALLY!!! C'S LEAD BY 1 WIT 4:00 TO GO!

The clear path foul FTs were supposed to be shot by shot by Maxey so they wiped the two FTs off the board, but Maxey hit both so we are back to 81-83

The call was overturned and the Sixers will get the ball out of the challenge. 

Embiid with the swat and the refs gave the ball to Boston, but Philly will challenge with 5:24 to go in the fourth quarter!

Maxey stripped Brown and Tatum was called for a clear path foul. Embiid goes to the line and hits both FTs and Philly gets the ball back. 

Embiid strokes the pull up jumper over Horford from outside the lane. 

Tatum going to the line after the foul on Harden and he hits both FTs. 

Maxey turns on the jets from the baseline and he throws it down with two hands!!!

Timeout Celtics with 7:10 to go in the fourth quarter!

Brogdon with the three ball in transition and that's another huge shot from Brogdon. He and Smart are keeping the C's in this game. 

Embiid taking Brogdon off the dribble and he hits the pull up jumper in the paint. 

Smart hangs it high off the glass with a floater and he's got 20 to lead the Celitcs. 

Embiid working on the block and hits the fader from the mid range. 

Smart fouled on the baseline drive by Reed and he hits one of two FTs. 

Tatum going to the line after the quarter change, and he hits both FTs to start the fourth. 

WE ARE HEADED TO THE FOURTH QUARTER FROM PHILLY!

Philly came back from 7 down at half to take the lead. Embiid, Maxey and Harden are leading the charge looking to close out the Celtics. 

Harden at the line and he hits both FTs after Brown fell for the pump fake. 

Smart put up an alley oop for Williams who threw it down with one hand!

Brown wiggles into the paint and hits the lay up and gets the foul on Embiid! FT is good to complete the three point play with under a minute in the third.

Embiid put it on the deck from the top of the key and finished with the finger roll! He's got 20 on the night. 

Brown at the line after the foul on Niang and he hits one of two FTs. 

Melton dragged down the offensive board, and kicked it out to Niang in the corner for the three with 1 on the shot clock!

Haden with the strip and Maxey scooped the loose ball and scored it on the break. 

Brown kicks it out to White and he drills the three to put the C's back up. 

Harden going to the line after the foul on Smart and he hits both FTs. The Sixers take their first lead of the game with 4:37 to go in the third

Embiid going to the line after the foul on Horford and he hits both FTs and we are all tied up for the first time since it was 3-3

Embiid with the block on Brown and that leads to a Niang triple try from the corner!!!

Timeout Celtics with 5:29 to go in the third quarter!

Maxey pulls up from the FT line and drills the jumper. 

Smart at the line after the foul on Niang and he hits both FTs. 

Brown slipped and lost the ball which led to an easy Embiid lay upon the other end. 

Harden on the hesitation and he gets the bucket at the iron and the foul! FT is good to complete the three point play. 

Tatum gets into the paint and finally sees the ball fall through the hoop with a lay in. 

Embiid with the spot up jumper in the lane out of the timeout. 

Smart running the break, he stopped and spinned at the FT line and found Horford down the lane for the lay up!

Timeout Philly with 9:10 to go in the third. 

Williams at the line after the foul on Embiid and he hits both FTs. 

Wiliams on the alley oop off the Smart lob on the pick and roll. They've got Embiid on skates with Williams on the offensive end. 

Tucker was left open again in the corner and he finally punishes the Celtics from downtown!

Maxey getting to the rim and he's got the first Philly bucket of the third after 15 in the first half. 

Brown drives baseline and gets the off balance finish to drop off the galss. 

WE ARE BACK IN ACTION FOR THE SECOND HALF FROM PHILLY!

Harden with a little blast from the past going right to the rack and throwing it down on the cock back slam. 

When the Sixers have had success, Harden has shot the ball well. He started slow but is 3/10 with six points heading into the third quarter. 

Tatum may have just a point through two quarters, but he has dished 6 assists and grabbed 7 rebounds. 

Maxey had a massive Game 5 and started the night in the same fashion. He's got 15 heading into the break 

In a must win game, Boston wasted no time getting off to a flying start. Smart had a great first few minutes and ended the half with 15. 

We are heading to halftime after the Sixers make a little run at the end of the second quarter. 

Jayson Tatum is 0/10 with 1 point but has 7 rebounds and 6 assits. Smart leads the C's with 15, Brogdon has 13 off the bench and Brown has 11. 

Maxey leads the Sixers with 15 points, Embiid has 12 and Harden started 3/10 and has six at the break. 

Harden kicked it out to Maxey as a last resort and he drills the three ball with the shot clock winding down. 

Smart with a long rebound and the finish on the lay up from the left side and he's got 15 in the first half!

Dump off from Tucker to Embiid and he hits the short floater. 10-2 run for the Sixers. 

Maxey to the line after the foul on Brown, and he hits both FTs with under 2:00. 

Embiid takes Horford off the dribble and finishes with a finger roll. 

Timeout Celtics with 2:21 to go in the half. 

Pick and roll from Tatum to Smart and he hits the jumper in the lane. 

3:00 to go in the first half from Boston. 

Harden with the cross over and cocks it back and throws it down!

Tatum is 0/8 after missing his last three. 

Embiid to the line and he hits both FTs after the foul on Brown. 

Brogdon muscles his way to the iron and finishes underneath with two defenders around him. 

Tucker with the baseline drive and lay in out of the timeout. 

Tatum with the block on one end, and Smart finishes with the finger roll in transition on the other end. 

Timeout Sixers with 6:09 to go in the half. 

Brown drive and gets the reverse lay up to drop. 

Harden takes Tatum to the rim and lays it up off the glass. 

Tatum leading the break and hits Smart in the corner for three!

Maxey on the off balance floater and he's in double digits already. 

Brown puts hits head down, gets to the bucket and lays it up in traffic. 

White drills another three ball and he's having a nice start off the bench. 

Harden is on the board for the first time on the step back mid range jumper. 

Brown starts the second quarter with a three ball and he's got 7!

We are at the end of the first half and it's Boston on top of the Sixers after Brogdon's hot start off the bench. He's got 11, Smart's got 6, Brown has just 4 and Tatum has a point but 4 assists and 4 rebounds. 

Maxey leads Philly with 8, Embiid has 6 and Harden went 0-4 to start the game. 

Brogdon with another three and he's got 11 of the last 14 for the Celtics!!!

Embiid at the line and he hits both FTs after the foul on Horford. 

White knocks down a three ball off the kick out from Tatum and that's four assists from Tatum even though he's got 0 FGs. 

House Jr. off the bench after a great Game 5, and he strokes a three ball to get on the board quickly. 

Brogdon got credit for the bucket because Embiid got called for a goaltend, but on the replay you can see he got it clean. Bad call from the refs right there. 

Maxey pulls the trigger from deep and he splashes the three ball!

Brogdon off the curl and he drills the catch and shoot three for two in a row!

Embiid at the FT line and he hits both FTs after the foul on Horford. 

Tatum has missed his first five field goals! That's 19 straight misses in the first quarter. 

Brogdon comes out of the timeout and ends the run with a pull up three ball in transition. 

Maxey drills a three ball in the corner after the offensive board from Harris and the Celtics take a timeout after a 9-2 run. 

Harris blows by Tatum on the baseline and he slams it home!

Embiid on the pump fake and drive to the dish and finishes with the flush. 

Maxey picked off Brown and he goes to the rack for the steal and slam!

Pick and roll from Tatum to Williams and that ends with an alley oop slam!

Smart drills a three ball after the kick out from Brown and he's got two early triples and the Celtics are on a 10-0 run!

Timeout Sixers with 8:10 to go in the first quarter. 

Brown got bumped by Tucker on the shot, and even though the crowd doesn't agree but he goes to the line and hits both FTs. 

Take foul whistled against Philly and Tatum goes to the line and hits the FT. 

Brown hits the mid range pull up jumper and he's on the board in his first game with out the face mask in I don't know how long. 

Williams on the jam after Tatum dumped it off for his second assist. 

Tucker drills a corner three ball off the kick out from Harden!

Smart starts the game with a three from the top of the key off the dish from Tatum!

WE ARE UNDERWAY IN GAME 6 FROM PHILLY!!!

Sixers starters

Tyrese Maxey and Tobias Harris both had big games in Boston on Tuesday night. The Sixers will need their each and everyone of their starting five to set the tone if they are going to knock the Celtics off at home. 

C's starters

Joe Mazzulla and the Celtics are going big to start Game 6 in Philly. Instead of Derrick White who has been a fixture in the starting five, the C's are going with Robert Williams who will provide a bit of size and strength down low. He is one of the best defenders in the league and he will be tasked with containing Joel Embiid while protecting the rim. 

Mazzulla hasn't been here, but Celtics have

The Celtics have experience on their side. They have been here before and they know how to handle these situations. Their coach, Joe Mazzulla however has not and he's going up against a legendary coach in Doc Rivers. Tonight could come down to the X's and O's just as much as it comes down to the stars on the court. 

History on Sixers side

In the history of the NBA, the team that wins Game 5 with the series tied at 2-2 goes on to win the series 82% of the time. That's great news for a Philly team who are back at home in a potential elimination game. They have a great chance to close the series at home, and if they lose tonight they will have another chance in Boston where they have already shown they are capable of winning. 

The Tatum conundrum 

Jayson Tatum is one of the top scorers in the league. With a championship title under his belt, he could turn into one of the faces of the league once Steph Curry and LeBron James step aside and let the next generation take over. Tatum averaged over 30 points a game during the regular season, and the post season he is averaging 26.9 a game, but him scoring loads of points hasn’t always translated to success for the Celtics in this series. The First-Team All NBA selection has scored 30+ in two games this series, but Boston lost both of those games. Strangely enough, when Tatum got himself into foul trouble in Game 2, and ended the night with 7 points the Celtics blew out the Sixers by 34 points.

Harden's heroics

James Harden has had a series to remember, turning back the clock in Game’s 1 and 4 and proving that he can still put up 40 if he needs to. For a guy who has basically carried his team to victory in two of the three Sixers wins, he has had to listen to a lot of criticism for his poor shooting games in Games 2 and 3. Harden has shown his versatility this season going from a one time NBA scoring champ to the league’s leading assister.

He has also showed his compassion and incredible character after forming a friendship with a victim of the Michigan State University mass shooting, John Hao. Hao has had been recovering in a hospital after tragedy struck the Spartans campus in February, and since then he and Harden talk on the phone reguarly. He was Harden’s special guest for Game 4, and you have to think he’ll be back for Game 6 after Harden posted 42 and had the game winning three in OT.  

Brown Second Team All-NBA

Jaylen Brown received some bittersweet news on Wednesday night when the All-NBA Teams were announced. He was named to the NBA Second Team, which a fantastic feat for the seventh year player out of Cal. He has been one of the best guards in the league, and the voters rewarded with him with the All-NBA Second Team distinction.

While he will be happy about the recognition from fans, media, coaches and players him not being named to the First-Team means he misses out on the opportunity to sign a super max contract with the Celtics this offseason. He was in line for a near $300 million extension had he made the first team, but now he will head into the free agent market listening to offers. If the Celtics don’t want to throw that kind of cash around, then we might be seeing Brown in a Boston jersey for the last time tonight.

Game 5 recap

The Sixers went into Boston and came up with a near wire to wire win over the Celtics on Tuesday night. Joel Embiid was freed from that knee brace that hindered his mobility in the first three games of the series, and he gave another MVP worthy performance. He ended the game with 33 and and 7, and the Sixers got a huge night from Tyrese Maxey who posted 30 and 7. James Harden has had good games and he has bad games in this series. While he didn’t score 40+, he had a great game, shooting well from the field and setting his teammates up with 10 assists while dictating the pace of play. Philly spent the entire second half up by 10 and eased to the road win. 

We are live from Wells Fargo Center

Hello everyone and welcome to Philly, where the Sixers are a win away from the Eastern Conference Finals, and will have a chance to close the series out at home in a potential elimination game. It’s been more than two decades since Philadelphia has been to the Conference Finals, but tonight they can take another step towards the title by downing the Celtics. The Celtics couldn’t take care of business at home, and now must keep their season alive on the road. If this series has shown us anything, it’s that the home team is far from a lock to winning on their home court, and tonight Boston will be hoping that trend continues. 

Celtics vs. Sixers Game 6

The defending Eastern Conference Champions have their backs against the wall and need a win on the road to keep their title dreams alive. The Philadelphia 76ers beat Boston on Tuesday night, and now have a chance to knock the Celtics out in front of their home fans and AS English will be with you all night providing live stats, scores, highlights and analysis of tonight’s Game 6 match up from Well Fargo Center.