The Philadelphia 76ers refused to let their season end quietly, storming to a commanding 106-93 victory over the Boston Celtics on Thursday night at Xfinity Mobile Arena. The win forces a decisive Game 7 in this first-round NBA playoff series, set for Saturday night in Boston.

Tyrese Maxey was the engine that drove the Sixers, pouring in a game-high 27 points—including 21 in the first half alone—to go with five assists and two steals. Paul George added 23 points of his own, catching fire in the third quarter with 10 points and finishing 5-of-8 from beyond the arc. On a night when Philadelphia leaned heavily on the three-point line, Maxey shot a crisp 3-of-5 from deep.

Joel Embiid came within a whisker of a triple-double, stuffing the stat sheet with 19 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists. VJ Edgecombe and Kelly Oubre Jr. each chipped in 14 points and combined for 18 rebounds, giving the Sixers the support they needed to keep Boston at arm's length.

The turning point came in the third quarter, when Philadelphia unleashed a 24-14 surge to turn a tight game into an 82-63 lead. Back-to-back dunks from Edgecombe and Oubre pushed the margin to 15 early in the period, and even a Derrick White three couldn't stop the momentum. Oubre followed with a jumper, and George drilled a triple to make it 74-57 with 7:27 left in the quarter. The Sixers nearly added more, but Andre Drummond's buzzer-beating three was ruled too late.

Boston played the fourth quarter without Jayson Tatum, who exited with left calf discomfort. He returned to the bench with an ice pack on the calf—a concerning sight given he tore his right Achilles tendon in last year's Eastern Conference Finals. With the deficit ballooning, the Celtics wisely chose not to push him. Tatum finished with 17 points and 11 rebounds.

Now, it all comes down to one game. The Sixers have momentum, confidence, and a star guard playing at an elite level. Can they finish the job in Boston? Saturday night will tell the tale.