76ers vs. Celtics score: Boston holds off Philadelphia to stay alive, force decisive Game 7

The Celtics kept their season alive despite a late push from Philadelphia

The Boston Celtics have forced a Game 7. It wasn't easy, and it certainly wasn't pretty, but the Celtics outlasted the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 6 on Thursday night, 95-86, to even the series at 3-3. The action will now shift back to Boston for a win-or-go-home showdown on Sunday.

With their backs against the wall, the Celtics came out with all sorts of intensity on both sides of the ball, and had a double-digit lead after just a few minutes. They pushed the advantage to as much as 16 in the second quarter, but were unable to hold on to it for very long. The Sixers surged back into the game late in the second quarter, then took a slight lead heading into the fourth, which set up a fascinating finish.

As it turned out, the final 12 minutes were some of the worst basketball we've seen all postseason. Neither team seemed all that interested in winning the game, and they traded missed shots and turnovers for the majority of the frame. Until, finally, Jayson Tatum woke up. The had only made one shot entering the final five minutes, but drained four 3-pointers down the stretch to help the Celtics pull away for good.

Tatum finished with 19 points, nine rebounds and six assists on 5-of-21 from the field in one of the strangest games we've ever seen from a star. The good news for him was he got plenty of help to keep the Celtics in the game until he showed up. Marcus Smart, in particular, delivered with 22 points, seven rebounds and seven assists.

The Sixers, much like the Celtics in Game 5, picked a bad time for a brutal offensive showing. They shot 36.1 percent from the field and went 8-of-34 from 3-point land. Now, they'll have to head back to Boston and win a Game 7 on the road if they want to get back to the Eastern Conference finals for the first time since 2001. 

Here are some key takeaways from the game:

Tatum saves his reputation

In the past week, Jayson Tatum added a fourth-place MVP finish and a second consecutive All-NBA First Team appearance to his resume. But he didn't look like that type of player for 43 minutes on Thursday night. As the clock ticked under five minutes, he was 1-of-14 from the field and on the verge of ruining his reputation with one of the worst elimination game performances from a star in recent memory. 

Then, all of a sudden, he flipped a switch. It started with a contested 3-pointer over Joel Embiid in the corner with 4:14 to play, which gave the Celtics the lead -- for good, as it turned out. He then proceeded to bury three more triples over the next few minutes to put the game away, and keep both the Celtics' season and his reputation alive. 

He finished 5-of-21 from the field for 19 points, nine rebounds and six assists in a totally bizarre showing. On the one hand, his shooting down the stretch was super-star stuff. But if he hadn't been a total disaster for the first three-plus quarters, the Celtics could have won comfortably. 

Starting his postgame press conference by stating, "I'm one of the, humbly, best basketball players in the world," only added to the strange night. In any case, what mattered was getting the win by any means necessary, and that's what Tatum and the Celtics did. 

Smart steps up

Marcus Smart has been a divisive figure during his Celtics career which is now, somehow, closing in on a decade long. On Thursday night, he delivered one of his best, and most important games of his career to help keep the Celtics' season going. At least for one night, everyone in Boston will be a Smart fan. 

The veteran point guard finished with a team-high 22 points on 8-of-15 from the field, and added seven rebounds, seven assists and two steals in 42 minutes. His leadership and timely plays on both sides of the ball kept the team together during a tumultuous few hours of basketball, and showed why he's an adored figure in the locker room. 

Jayson Tatum was having one of the worst games of his life, half of the team looked shell-shocked after blowing a 16-point lead and they were missing layups and turning the ball over constantly. There were plenty of moments when the team could have let go of the rope, but Smart did not allow it to happen. 

When the Sixers opened up a five point lead late in the third, he assisted Jaylen Brown and Robert Williams on consecutive buckets to keep the Celtics within two heading into the fourth. In the final frame, he played all 12 minutes and scored or assisted on five of the team's seven made field goals. 

Simply put, the Celtics do not win that game without Smart. 

Sixers miss a golden opportunity

The Sixers have not been to the Eastern Conference finals since 2001, and now they'll have to win a Game 7 on the road in Boston if they want to end that drought. They missed a golden opportunity to close out the Celtics and advance on Thursday, but could not get the job done down the stretch.

As expected, the Celtics punched first and built a double-digit first half lead. But the Sixers weathered the storm, got back into the game at halftime and surged in front heading into the fourth. All they needed was one strong quarter against a team that looked completely lost; instead, they shot 5-of-20 from the field and scored 13 points, and gave the game away. 

The good news for the Sixers is they know they can win in Boston, having done so in both Game 1 and Game 5; the bad news is that historically teams do not win Game 7s on the road. In NBA history, the home team is 110-36 in those situations. They'll also have to get themselves back up emotionally after being so close to ending the series. 

One thing's for certain: if they want to win on Sunday, they'll need James Harden to show up. He had 13 points on 4-of-16 from the field in Game 6, and for the series now has three games where he's shot 50 percent or better and three games where he's shot 25 percent or worse. You can probably figure out which games the Sixers won and which games they lost. 

[May 11, 2023 at 9:55 pm ET · Jack Maloney]

Tatum finally wakes up

Jayson Tatum picked a perfect time to finally wake up. After starting the game 1-13, he just drilled two huge 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions to give the Celtics a four-point lead with 3:34 to play. Still a long way to go, but that's a welcome sight for the Celtics

[May 11, 2023 at 9:49 pm ET · Jack Maloney]

Neither team wants to win

That's not actually true, of course, but it feels like it watching this game. There's been so many turnovers and missed shots in the fourth quarter, but both teams are producing them at an even rate so neither side has been able to pull in front. Again, though, if any team is going to do so it feels like it will be the Sixers

[May 11, 2023 at 9:27 pm ET · Jack Maloney]

Third quarter: Sixers 73 -- Celtics 71

The Celtics look totally discombobulated and the Sixers are now in front as we enter the fourth, though only by one point. This is still anyone's game to win, but you have to favor the Sixers at this point. They have the momentum, the home crowd and the best player in Joel Embiid (even if he hasn't had a great game). 

[May 11, 2023 at 9:12 pm ET · Jack Maloney]

Sixers have cut it to two

The Celtics' offense has really cooled off, and the Sixers are taking advantage. Georges Niang just canned a wide open 3 to cut the deficit to just two points and force a Celtics timeout. All the momentum is with the Sixers and this game just has the feel of one where once they take the lead they pull away

[May 11, 2023 at 9:09 pm ET · Jack Maloney]

Brown takes scary fall

Jaylen Brown was just sprinting the floor in transition, planted his foot to make a Eurostep and had his foot go right out from under him on a wet spot. Thankfully it seems like it looked worse than it actually was, and he's staying in the game for now. Sigh of relief for the Celtics

[May 11, 2023 at 9:02 pm ET · Jack Maloney]

Rough game for Embiid

Jayson Tatum has been so bad that it's overshadowing the fact that Joel Embiid has really struggled as well. He just had a bad turnover that led to a layup for the Celtics on the other end, and is now 3-10 from the field. He has gotten to the free throw line to get himself to 12 points, and has five rebounds and a few blocks, but the Sixers are going to need him to start scoring to complete this comeback attempt