Joel Embiid silenced TD Garden with a performance that finally erased his Game 7 struggles. Even with Jaylen Brown and the Boston Celtics posing a threat to the Sixers' spot in the Eastern Conference semifinals, the Philadelphia 76ers' big man had the last laugh. 

It is the matchup everyone anticipated. The Sixers stormed back from a 3-1 deficit to force a decider. Meanwhile, Jayson Tatum remained out, leaving Brown with full responsibility. He embraced the challenge and took it straight to Embiid.

Around the six-minute mark in the third quarter, the Sixers held a seven-point lead and looked to extend it. Embiid had Brown isolated against him. The Celtics forward pressed up, reached in aggressively as he trash-talked throughout the possession.

Embiid, looking calm, muscled his way toward the rim and finished with a skyhook, beating the clock. On his way back to defense, Embiid barked back at Brown.

The Process set the tone early tonight. Through three quarters, he posted 27 points, 10 rebounds, and 6 assists.

The former Finals MVP, Brown, has carried the Celtics for stretches without JT this season, and he stepped up again. Backed by the TD Garden crowd, Brown replied by dropping 26 points through three quarters and kept the Celtics within reach.

Both teams stayed poised as the game moved toward a decisive fourth quarter.

Embiid secures first career Game 7 victory

The big man entered Game 7 with confidence after back-to-back elimination wins. He stuck to a clear approach. 

“One play at a time. Tough environment, but we’ve been here. We won two games over there,” Embiid said before the game.

The Sixers ended up creating history, winning the series after trailing 3-1 behind for the first time. It wasn’t simple, as the Celtics made a hard push in the fourth quarter, Jaylen Brown leading them with 7 points.

Entering the fourth quarter with a 13-point deficit, the Celts brought the lead down to 1 with 6 minutes left in the game. While everyone had flashes of the Sixers blowing their chances again, they held their nerve and turned it around with a 109-100 win. 

Joel Embiid finished the game with 34 points and 12 rebounds. Next up, they face the NY Knicks in the Conference semifinals.

Can Joel Embiid and Co. push past the Knicks for a solid championship run? Let us know in the comments.

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Written by

Shahul Hameed

Edited by

Surjo Ray