Player grades: Celtics defeat Sixers in Game 6 to keep season alive

PHILADELPHIA–The Philadelphia 76ers were looking to finish off the Boston Celtics and advance to their first Eastern Conference finals since 2001. They knew their challenge would be a tough one. These Celtics are not so easy to bury.

Amid a raucous atmosphere at the Wells Fargo Center, the Celtics put on a shooting clinic in the opening minutes. They couldn’t miss a 3 while the Sixers were running in quicksand out there. Philadelphia worked its way back into the game and they held a lead in the fourth quarter, but the Celtics eventually walked away with a 95-86 victory to keep their season alive and force a Game 7.

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Joel Embiid had 26 points and 10 rebounds for Philadelphia, Tyrese Maxey had 26 points, and James Harden added 13 points, nine assists, and seven rebounds. PJ Tucker added eight points and Tobias Harris had two on 1-for-7 shooting.

Here are the plater grades following the loss:

Shades of Games 2 and 3 Harden showed up in the first half of this one. He had a tough time finishing his drives at the basket and he was settling for tougher 3s. he had a tough time getting into an offensive rhythm and the ball wasn’t hopping around as it had been recently. He wasn’t terrible in this one, but again, just saw some really tough misses on a night the Sixers needed more out of him.

When the Celtics got off to such a hot start, the Sixers needed somebody to step up and respond on offense. That somebody was Maxey who provided a huge lift in the first quarter when he hit two triples off the dribble. That then sparked him to have a very nice night on offense. He kept the Sixers in it amid a rough first half. The young guard also was a pest on the perimeter defensively. He was active and his defensive instincts were very good. He did have his issues in the fourth quarter, however, and that was a key reason for this loss.

The offense for Harris was not there in this one. He missed a few bunnies at the rim and then badly missed an open triple, but amid the tough go on offense, he was attacking the glass, he made some nice passes, and he defended well. However, he has got to be better on the offensive end. The Sixers count on him to bring it on that end of the floor and he wasn’t able to do so in this one. He receives credit for his strong effort on the defensive end, but he was invisible on offense.

Tucker drilled his first corner triple of the night and he was active on the defensive end. He bothered Jaylen Brown into some tough misses and he was once again flying around in terms of making the hustle plays to get Philadelphia extra possessions. He caused the Celtics to commit a few turnovers and he did a really terrific job of providing that leadership for this group in this one.

The big fella was aggressive in this one. He had trouble with his efficiency, but he got Al Horford into foul trouble early and converted on those free throws. He also did a great job of protecting the rim. He had two early blocks and the Celtics were so afraid when driving to the basket. Jayson Tatum had second thoughts every time he saw Embiid at the basket. Overall, the big fella had a very good game, but it didn’t come easy. He had a tough time finishing on offense, but he was able to get to the line, and he was phenomenal on defense.

This was not a great night for Niang. He wasn’t able to get any good looks from deep and he was being hunted on the defensive end off pick-and-roll switches. Boston did everything it could to get Niang defending in space and then they took advantage of it. He was much better in the second half, when he knocked down a triple and he actually played some more than solid defense on Tatum. He then knocked down another 3-pointer as he was able to find his rhythm.

He didn’t do much on the offensive end, but Melton was able to be helpful on the glass and he was able to give a big help defensively. However, there were a few times when the perimeter defense broke down and the Celtics got a lot of open 3s. That isn’t necessarily on Melton, but it wasn’t a pretty sight.

After a big Game 5, House Jr. got the call again and he knocked down a triple off the bench. He also had a few nice moments on the defensive end. His athleticism is needed in this series. Coach Doc Rivers and his staff deserve credit for giving him a look.

The initial run for Reed was tough. He had a tough time finding any open looks on offense, he didn’t make much of an impact on defense, and he had a bad turnover underneath the basket. His run in the second half wasn’t great either as he committed what was a very questionable foul when Marcus Smart drove to the basket, but still. It wasn’t a great night for him.