Joel Embiid had 34 points, 12 rebounds and six assists and Tyrese Maxey added 30 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Philadelphia 76ers to a 109-100 victory over the host Boston Celtics in Game 7 of their Eastern Conference first-round playoff series Saturday night.

The 76ers won the final three games in the series. It’s the first time in franchise history that Philadelphia has overcome a 3-1 series deficit and 14th time in league history for any team.

“We handled playing (in a hostile environment) just enough, but I think it was really good for us to experience it,” 76ers coach Nick Nurse said.

Philadelphia, seeded seventh, visits the third-seeded New York Knicks on Monday in Game 1 of their second-round series.

“What changed in the series is Joel Embiid came back, and they’re a completely different team,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said.

Embiid took the court for the last three games after not playing since April 6, as he required an emergency appendectomy during a team trip through Texas.

Second-seeded Boston trailed 99-98 following two Neemias Queta free throws, but Maxey scored the next eight points to put Philadelphia up 107-98 with 15 seconds left.

Philadelphia received 23 points from rookie VJ Edgecombe. Paul George added 13. The 76ers’ bench totaled three points (all by Quentin Grimes).

Boston’s Jayson Tatum was ruled out of the game because of stiffness in his left knee. He left Game 6 with 4:03 remaining in the third quarter with a left leg injury.

Tatum averaged 23.3 points and 10.7 rebounds per contest in six playoff games this season. The six-time All-Star forward averaged 21.8 points and 10.0 boards in 16 regular-season games after returning March 6 from a devastating ruptured right Achilles tendon last May in the playoffs.

Jaylen Brown led Boston with 33 points and added nine rebounds. Derrick White finished with 26 points and Queta had 17 points and a team-high 12 rebounds off the bench. Celtics starters Baylor Scheierman, Luka Garza and Ron Harper Jr. failed to score. Reserves Payton Pritchard added 13 points and Sam Hauser 11.

The Celtics shot 26.5% (13 of 49) from 3-point range and 39.8% (37 of 93) from the field.

“We’re always going to play to the strength of our team,” Mazzulla said.

The Sixers made 11 of 28 (39.3%) from long range and 47.6% (39 of 82) from the field.

“In the last two games and portions of this one, we guarded the ball very well,” Nurse said. “We weren’t giving them great looks. That probably for the whole series was the big key.”

Philadelphia scored the game’s first nine points and led 30-15 following an Embiid jumper with 1:55 left in the opening quarter. The 76ers were up 32-19 after 12 minutes.

Boston scored 18 of the first 22 points in the second quarter and had its first (and what turned out to be only) lead, 37-36, after a Pritchard 3-pointer with 6:52 left in the first half. Philadelphia rallied to take a 55-50 halftime advantage.

An 8-0 run gave Philadelphia a 63-52 lead, and the 76ers were up 84-66 after an Edgecombe 3-pointer with 2:24 remaining in the third. It was 88-75 after three quarters.

Boston began the fourth quarter with a 16-4 run to cut its deficit to one point, 92-91, with 7:59 to play. The 76ers led 95-94 with 5:52 left.

“(The Celtics) just played in transition for about 12 straight minutes, and then we finally got them stopped to get in their sets,” Nurse said. “Defensively, that was the difference for us in the last three minutes. We had them in halfcourt until maybe the final 90 seconds when they were just coming up and firing.”

Mazzulla said: “Loved the looks that we got, loved the process that we had, but hate the result.”

–Field Level Media

RJ Barrett kept the Toronto Raptors’ season alive with one of the most clutch shots in franchise history, but he isn’t ready to reminisce about the moment yet.

Not with a win-or-go-home Game 7 of their Eastern Conference first round series taking place Sunday night at the Cleveland Cavaliers.

“Forget everything that’s happened,” said Barrett, who is averaging a series-high 24.3 points per game. “Now, it’s one game to win it all.”

The fifth-seeded Raptors earned that opportunity when Barrett’s 3-pointer with 1.2 seconds left in overtime bounced off the heel of the rim, high in the air and through the hoop to give them a 112-110 victory Friday.

As a result, upstart Toronto has pushed the team with the highest payroll in the NBA to the brink of a devastating end to a season that began with championship dreams.

“Glory to God, that was a fun one, right?” Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic said. “It was a heck of a fight. We just talked about how much fun this is and how much we loved the challenge.”

Fourth-seeded Cleveland got a clean look at the buzzer, but Evan Mobley’s 29-footer was off the mark, keeping both teams unbeaten at home in the series.

“If I continue to sulk about that (Barrett) shot, it’s over,” Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell said. “Unfortunately, but fortunately, half of the locker room has been through this before. It’s going to test us.

“Protect home court, that’s all you can do. We’ve got to protect home court.”

History is on Cleveland’s side as it has never lost a Game 7 at home, beating the Washington Bullets in 1976, Boston Celtics in 1992, Indiana Pacers in 2018 and Orlando Magic in 2024.

Mitchell, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen, Max Strus, Dean Wade and Sam Merrill remain on the roster from the latter, which featured the Cavaliers and Magic winning every game in their respective arenas.

“We’re at home and the ball is in our court,” said Mobley, who is averaging 19.0 points and 8.8 rebounds while shooting 56.8 percent from the field. “We’ve just got to come together and get a win.

“Don’t get too involved in the magnitude of everything, just protect home court.”

Toronto has only played one Game 7 on the road, losing to the Philadelphia 76ers in 2001. Barrett was about to celebrate his first birthday at the time, while Scottie Barnes and breakout performer Ja’Kobe Walter hadn’t been born yet.

Barrett, Barnes and Walter combined to score 73 of the Raptors’ 112 points in Game 6.

“I’ve watched so many Game 7s, you see the intensity on the court,” said Walter, who averaged 22.0 points and made 10 3-pointers in the last two contests. “I’m so excited to be in this moment.”

Barnes has been the most consistent performer in the series, averaging 24.2 points, 5.7 rebounds and 9.0 assists. In a surprising development, he and Barrett have outplayed Cleveland’s star backcourt of James Harden and Mitchell.

Mitchell is shooting just 43.7% on field goal attempts, including 35.3% on 3-point tries; he has only attempted 14 total free throws. He has only taken over in brief stretches of two games, marking a complete turnaround from his brilliant 2025 postseason.

Trade-deadline acquisition Harden has been plagued by careless passes and poor decision-making, averaging 21.0 points, 6.7 assists and 5.7 turnovers.

“I’m a little frustrated, but there’s nothing you can do about it,” Harden said. “We can’t dwell on it too long. Just go back home, play one game and win.”

Both squads took Saturday off but will hold shootarounds on Sunday morning.

Raptors small forward Brandon Ingram (right heel) missed Game 6 and will be evaluated after working out with the team. Point guard Immanuel Quickley (right hamstring) continues to undergo treatment but will sit out the entire series.

The Cavaliers have no injuries and, should they lose, no legitimate excuses.

“This is typical NBA basketball with a four and a five seed going at it,” Cleveland coach Kenny Atkinson said. “Now, we’ve got to go out and get Game 7.”

–Field Level Media

Orlando Magic forward Franz Wagner has been officially ruled out for Game 7 against the Detroit Pistons on Sunday.

Wagner suffered a calf strain in Game 4 and has missed the last two contests.

The 24-year-old has battled injuries throughout the season. He was limited to 34 games during the regular season.

When he is on the court, he continues to be an integral piece of the Magic’s success, finishing second in points per game (20.6) and third in rebounds per game (5.2).

In the playoffs, Wagner is averaging 16.8 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 2.8 steals.

The eighth-seeded Magic held a commanding 3-1 lead in the series over the top-seeded Pistons before allowing Detroit to storm back to force a Game 7.

–Field Level Media

One game remains, and suddenly all the pressure has shifted.

After staring down elimination just days ago, the top-seeded Detroit Pistons forced a winner-take-all Game 7 on Sunday against the visiting Orlando Magic, putting themselves on the brink of history.

Only 13 teams in NBA history have rallied from a 3-1 deficit to win a playoff series, a reminder of both the rarity of Detroit’s push and the opportunity still in front of Orlando. The winner will face either Cleveland or Toronto in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Detroit’s 93-79 victory in Game 6 of their Eastern Conference first-round series on Friday flipped the series on its head, erasing what once looked like a commanding Orlando march after the eighth-seeded Magic built and then squandered a 24-point lead.

“It’s going to be a war,” said Detroit’s Duncan Robinson. “It’s pretty much what every game has been so far this series — super physical.

“They got a lot of pride in their locker room too. We expect them to come out swinging on Sunday. We’re super excited to get back and have a game seven on our home floor in front of our fans. So, it’s going to be a great challenge.”

The Pistons were able to force the decisive game by mounting a furious, defensive-ignited comeback in the second half. The Magic missed 23 consecutive shots, including 27 of their final 28 shots, and were outscored 55-19 during that span.

“Hopefully we start the game like we finished the game,” said Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff. “That’s going to be extremely important for us.

“I expect us to do what we do, and that’s keep swinging.”

The Magic are looking to avoid their second 3-1 collapse in franchise history. In 2003, they blew a 3-1 advantage over the top-seeded Pistons in their NBA first-round series. The Pistons haven’t won a playoff series since 2008, while the Magic haven’t since 2010.

Magic coach Jamahl Mosley was asked what his team has to do in Game 7 to bounce back from the stunning defeat.

“You got to wash it, you got to learn from it, you got to go get Game 7,” Mosley said. “You got to get it the hard way.

“We’ve been in Game 7 before, and we understand what it looks like on the road, the magnitude of it, what we know we’re capable of doing in this situation.”

Orlando will need to move past its 1-of-20 fourth-quarter shooting performance, including a combined 1-of-15 effort from Paolo Banchero, Desmond Bane and Jalen Suggs, while also preparing for the likelihood of being without forward Franz Wagner, who has missed the last two games with a calf injury.

“It’s the playoffs and this series has been a slugfest,” Banchero said. “Series ain’t over. They’ve clawed their way to tie it at 3-3. You don’t have time to hang your head about this. Obviously, it was a bad loss. Got to chalk it up. There’s nothing we can do about it at this point.”

The Magic will also need to figure out how to cool off Detroit’s Cade Cunningham who has scored 77 points over the last two games, including 32 in Game 6.

“He’s their engine,” Banchero said of Cunningham. “He does a lot of their scoring and facilitating and so, yeah, we got to make it hard on him, try to make others beat us, just do whatever we can to win the game.

“It’s one game. It’s all that matters is just one game. So, I think we got to just do whatever it takes.”

–Field Level Media