Celtics stave off elimination, force Game 7 vs. 76ers

The Boston Celtics staved off elimination with a 95-86 Game 6 win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday, bringing the series to 3-3. Here’s what you need to know: Philadelphia said all the right things about being ready to go to Boston for Game 7, but this has a chance to go down as one of the greatest missed opportunities in franchise history. The Sixers defended at a high level, Tatum was struggling mightily for the entire game and they just couldn’t take advantage. The 76ers couldn’t score, specifically. They had a 90.5 offensive rating per Cleaning The Glass, tied for their worst offensive performance all season. The Celtics’ two-big offense mucked up the spacing (and that will be a major talking point heading into Game 7 in Boston on Sunday), and the Sixers also shot a miserable 8 of 34 from beyond the arc. James Harden went 4 of 16 from the field, as he had another down game. If the Sixers do get eliminated in Boston, they will be thinking of their poor execution down the stretch in a 23-14 Boston fourth quarter. — Hofmann Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla made an adjustment to start Robert Williams III rather than Derrick White for Game 6. Smart, Jaylen Brown, Tatum, Williams and Al Horford were the starting five for Boston. Sixth Man of the Year Malcolm Brogdon and White were the only players to come off the Celtic bench, combining for 25 points. After struggling through the first three quarters, Tatum looked more like himself through the final 12 minutes, scoring 16 of his 19 points and hitting a dagger of a stepback 3-pointer. Tatum shot 5 of 21 from the field and 4-for-11 from behind the arc. Harden had 13 points, nine assists, seven rebounds, three steals and five turnovers. Embiid, Harden and Maxey were the only 76ers to score in double figures. Philadelphia had more turnovers (11) than made 3s (eight) and was out-rebounded 50-38 by the Celtics. Subscribe to The Athletic for in-depth coverage of your favorite players, teams, leagues and clubs. Try a week on us.