76ers Upset Celtics in Game 7 to Set Up Knicks Series
76ers vs Celtics Game 7 2026 score results
The Philadelphia 76ers completed a historic postseason comeback on Saturday, May 2, 2026, defeating the Boston Celtics 109-100 in a decisive Game 7 at TD Garden. After trailing 3-1 in the first-round series, the Sixers rallied to win three consecutive games, becoming one of the few teams in NBA history to erase such a deficit against a higher seed.
Joel Embiid, who missed the start of the series due to an appendectomy, anchored the Philadelphia effort with a dominant performance, outlasting a Celtics squad that was forced to play its biggest game of the year without superstar Jayson Tatum. According to official reports from CBS Sports, the victory secures Philadelphia’s spot in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, where they are scheduled to face the New York Knicks.
The narrative of the winner-take-all matchup shifted significantly hours before tip-off when Jayson Tatum was downgraded from questionable to out due to left knee stiffness. Tatum, who was just 22 games into his return from a torn right Achilles suffered in the 2025 playoffs, reportedly arrived at the arena with discomfort that the medical staff deemed too risky to ignore.
In his absence, Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla turned to a revamped starting lineup featuring Jaylen Brown alongside Baylor Scheierman and Luka Garza. While Brown led a spirited first-half effort that kept Boston within five points at the break, the Celtics struggled to find consistent scoring in the fourth quarter. As reported by VAVEL, Philadelphia’s defensive intensity proved too much for the shorthanded hosts, as the Sixers pulled away late to silence the Boston crowd.
The 76ers now pivot to a highly anticipated second-round clash against the New York Knicks, with Game 1 set to take place at Madison Square Garden on Monday, May 4, 2026. The Knicks, who secured a top seed following a dominant regular season, present a physical challenge for an Embiid-led roster that appears to be peaking at the right moment.
Google Sports Data indicates that while the Knicks won two of the three regular-season meetings, the Sixers’ momentum from the Celtics comeback has shifted the betting odds toward a closely contested series. As the NBA world prepares for a revival of the classic Atlantic Division rivalry, the Celtics face an offseason of questions regarding roster depth and the long-term health of their franchise centerpiece.
