76ers complete 3-1 comeback, beat Celtics 109-100 in Game 7

Philadelphia finally got the one thing this core had kept failing to grab — a clean, undeniable playoff win over Boston when everything was on the line. The 76ers beat the Celtics 109-100 in Game 7 on Saturday, erased a 3-1 series hole, and walked out of TD Garden with the franchise’s biggest postseason breakthrough in years. That matters because this matchup had started to feel cursed for Philly. Then Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey changed the script in one night. ### How big was this comeback? Big enough to land in NBA history. Philadelphia became the 14th team ever to come back from a 3-1 deficit in a playoff series, and it did it by winning three straight elimination games after getting blown out in Game 4. The Sixers were the No. 7 seed, Boston was the No. 2 seed, and Game 7 was on the road — so this wasn’t just survival, it was a full flip of the series. ### What actually decided Game 7? The first and third quarters. Philadelphia jumped out 32-19 in the opening period, took control of the game before Boston could settle in, then won the third 33-25 to rebuild separation after the Celtics made a push in the second. The final margin was 9, but Philly spent most of the night dictating pace and forcing Boston to chase. ### How good were Embiid and Maxey? They were the whole shape of the game. Embiid finished with 34 points, 12 rebounds and 6 assists. Maxey added 30 points and 7 assists. That gave Philadelphia a steady answer every time Boston threatened — Embiid with the half-court control, Maxey with the downhill burst. It looked like the version of the Sixers people keep imagining but rarely get in a Game 7. ### What happened to Boston? The biggest thing is that Jayson Tatum didn’t play. He was out with knee stiffness, which changed the entire Celtics offense and pushed even more burden onto Jaylen Brown and the supporting cast. Brown scored 33, but Boston never really found the shot creation or balance it usually gets from Tatum. In a Game 7, that missing piece was enormous. ### Why does this feel different for Philly? Because the opponent was Boston, and because the setting was Boston. The Sixers had not beaten the Celtics in a playoff series since 1982, which is the kind of stat that hangs over every new roster whether it should or not. Winning Game 7 on that floor turns this from a nice comeback into something closer to an exorcism. ### Who else mattered? The supporting cast kept the game from becoming a two-man rescue act. ESPN’s play-by-play and shot log show contributions from Paul George, Kelly Oubre Jr. and rookie VJ Edgecombe in key stretches, especially when Philadelphia needed pace, extra finishing they didn’t. ### What comes next? The turnaround is fast. Philadelphia now faces the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference semifinals, with Game 1 set for Monday, May 4, in New York. So the reward for surviving Boston is basically no rest at all — just a quick pivot into another bruising East series. hard version — on the road, against Boston, after trailing 3-1, with the season hanging on every possession. For a team that has spent years collecting almosts, that changes the conversation fast.