The Philadelphia 76ers put everything together in Game 6 of their first-round playoff series against the Boston Celtics. Tyrese Maxey scored 30 points , Joel Embiid was close to a triple-double, and Paul George played his best game as a Sixers player in the 106-93.
“I’ve been playing these guys for so long,” Embiid said after the game, referring to the Celtics. “I’m tired of losing to them. So we have a chance to accomplish something special. They’re a great team. When you look at everything you have, that’s a super team, so we just got to go with the mindset we’ve had for the last two games.”
“He was huge, man,” Maxey said of the resurgent George. “He was huge. Paul has been really, really good. He’s been consistent. He’s been a great voice, a great leader for all of us, and we appreciate him.”
The teams will now face off in a winner-take-all Game 7 at TD Garden on Saturday.
“I think we’re playing into their hands a little bit,” Celtics star Jaylen Brown said. “I definitely think, even myself, the type of shots, the type of things they want us to do. That’s not what we’ve been doing all year. But maybe a shift in your approach can open some stuff up offensively for us.”
The Sixers have played their best basketball in each of the last two games, but head coach Nick Nurse knows that doesn’t mean things will carry over into Game 7.
“I think we played really well. I think that it doesn’t really matter that much, though,” Nurse said. “I mean, we’ve seen games like this. This is just one game. That’s one story. And you’re going to go back, and it’s just not going to flip a switch and happen again. … We’re going to have to really, really dig in and focus and prepare and get ready for adjustments, and we’re going to have to give a tremendous effort.
“It’s nice to win a couple in a row and it’s nice to win, play the way we did tonight, but it really does not matter. Each game’s its own game.”
About Qwame Skinner
Qwame Skinner has loved both writing and sports his entire life. In addition to his sports coverage at Comeback Media, Qwame writes novels, and his debut; The First Casualty, an adult fantasy, is out now.