Winners and Losers from Sixers' Blowout Game 6 Win vs. Celtics

The Sixers are on the verge of going from a feel-good story to a Grade-A situation.

When Joel Embiid returned less than three weeks removed from appendix surgery and the Sixers won Game 5 in Boston, they validated their vision for this roster. Anything beyond that was gravy given the circumstances.

Then they went out and blasted the Celtics at home in Game 6. A game they almost never win.

Game 7 is Saturday. The winner goes on to face the New York Knicks. The loser goes home for the summer wondering what could have been.

Before we turn our attention to the win-or-go-home Saturday showdown, take a look back at the biggest winners and losers from their Game 6 beatdown of Boston.

Winner: The Sixers' Big Three

This is what the Sixers had in mind when they signed Paul George two years ago.

George had 23 points on 8-of-17 shooting (including 5-of-9 from deep), four rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block. Tyrese Maxey had a team-high 30 points on 11-of-22 shooting (3-of-5 from deep), five assists, two rebounds and two steals. And Embiid nearly had a triple-double, finishing with 19 points on 6-of-18 shooting (1-of-5 from deep), 10 rebounds, eight assists, one steal and only one turnover.

The three of them combined for 72 of the Sixers' 106 points on the night. VJ Edgecombe and Kelly Oubre Jr. added 14 each, while the bench combined for only six.

After the Celtics got off to an early three-point lead, the Sixers outscored them 62-40 across the second and third quarters. The Celtics pulled their starters with 10:24 left in the game after the Sixers took a 23-point lead early in the fourth quarter.

The Sixers played with their food a bit against the Celtics' deep bench and didn't run them off the floor, but in an elimination game, a win's a win. Thanks to their Big Three, the Sixers are headed back to Boston on Saturday for a chance to win their first playoff series against them in more than 40 years.

Loser: Jaylen Brown

As good as the Sixers' Big Three was, Jaylen Brown was that bad.

Brown finished with 18 points on 7-of-17 shooting (2-of-6 from deep), although he was only 2-of-6 from the free-throw line. He also had only two assists and one rebound to go with five turnovers and four personal fouls.

Brown got called for an offensive foul midway through the second quarter, which parked him on the bench with his third foul. He committed another silly offensive foul early in the third quarter, and the Sixers took a 14-point lead on the ensuing possession. The Celtics never got within single digits again.

Jayson Tatum left the game in the third quarter with what he termed "leg stiffness" and did not return, which is particularly concerning for someone who's just returning from a torn Achilles. Tatum says he plans to play, but will the Celtics' doctors clear him?

If not, the Celtics will need a far better version of Brown in Game 7 than what they got in Game 6.

Winner: The Sixers' defense

The Celtics had the league's second-best offense during the regular season. They averaged the fourth-most points of any team in the third quarter.

They scored 14 points against the Sixers in the third quarter of Game 6.

Overhelping was one of the Sixers' main Achilles' heels on defense throughout the regular season and early in the playoffs. But as the series has gone on, the Sixers have gotten more disciplined about sticking with shooters rather than preventing drives to the basket. They now have Embiid patrolling the back line again to help clean up any drives, anyway.

The Celtics held their own offensively in the first half; the Sixers just went on a heater in the second quarter to storm out to a nine-point halftime lead. When the two teams came back from the break, the Sixers shut the Celtics' water off. They shot 6-of-23 overall and 2-of-13 from deep in the third quarter as the Sixers outscored them by 10.

If the Sixers stay as locked in defensively as they were in Game 6, they'll at least have a chance of pulling off the upset in Boston on Saturday.

The Celtics offense scored less than 100 points nine times this season, or about 11% of the time. They've now done it in three of their six games against the Sixers
— John Karalis 🇬🇷 (@John_Karalis) May 1, 2026

Loser: The Celtics' offensive approach

The Celtics are somewhat of a one-trick pony.

When they're shooting well from deep, they're damn near unstoppable. They buried the Sixers in an avalanche of threes in both Games 1 and 4, and for all we know, another one could be coming Saturday.

But when the Celtics aren't shooting well from deep, they don't have as many counters as they have in recent years past. They've shot below 30% from three in each of the past two games, and not coincidentally, they lost by double digits both times.

Neemias Queta is the Celtics' best hope against Embiid on defense, but he provides little offensively. Derrick White hit three triples in a game for the first time all series, but he still finished with only 11 points on 3-of-8 shooting. Sam Hauser (1-of-5 from deep) and Payton Pritchard (1-of-8) couldn't find the range, either.

Role players historically shoot better at home, so the Sixers should fully expect the Celtics to knock down a few more open looks on Saturday. But the Sixers' defense also deserves credit for the Celtics' disjointed offensive night in Game 6.

Winner: Kelly Oubre Jr.

After being listed as questionable heading into Game 4 due to adductor soreness, Oubre was a relatively nonfactor over the past two games. He made his impact felt in Game 6, though.

In 39 minutes, Oubre had 14 points on 6-of-11 shooting, nine rebounds, two blocks, two steals and an assist. He was the recipient of Embiid's behind-the-back assist early in the third quarter that helped start a Sixers offensive avalanche.

ARE YOU KIDDING. 🤯 pic.twitter.com/vfW5nzYB0I
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) May 1, 2026

On the next possession, he triggered a fast-break dunk with a come-from-behind block.

WHAT A SEQUENCE FOR THE SIXERS!

📺 Peacock and NBCSN pic.twitter.com/B47TePqrRA
— NBA on NBC and Peacock (@NBAonNBC) May 1, 2026

When the Celtics are sending extra help at Embiid, they're typically abandoning Oubre or Edgecombe and living with the results. If Oubre can continue making them pay for that in Game 7, the Sixers could be moving on to face the Knicks.

Winner: The Sixers' crowd

If you were in the crowd for Game 6, you're a deranged person. You wanted a firsthand view of the latest entry in the Sixers' decade of trauma?

When the Celtics battled back after the Sixers jumped out to an early lead, they briefly seemed poised to break the game open and run away with it. Instead, the Sixers erupted in the second quarter and staked themselves to a halftime lead that they'd never relinquish.

As enjoyable as tightly contested, back-and-forth playoff games are, the collective hearts in the Sixers' crowd could not have taken that type of stress. Fans were undoubtedly anxious when the Celtics' deep reserves briefly cut the Sixers' lead to 12 in the fourth quarter.

But the Sixers took care of business, and the crowd held up their end of the bargain. Four days after Celtics fans mockingly chanted "We want Boston" at the end of the Sixers' blowout Game 4 loss, the Sixers' crowd returned the favor.

“We Want Boston” chants breaking out and the Celtics fans in the crowd are embracing it pic.twitter.com/xbN2WN9nYz
— Noa Dalzell 🏀 (@NoaDalzell) May 1, 2026

Turnabout is fair play.

Unless otherwise noted, all stats via NBA.com, PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass or Basketball Reference. All salary information via Spotrac and salary-cap information via RealGM.

Follow Bryan on Bluesky.

Add us as a preferred source on Google