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Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics collides with Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers.

The Philadelphia 76ers stared down a tough deficit and their own shaky home tendencies to deliver a statement win in Game 6 against the Boston Celtics. 

Sixers coach Nick Nurse’s team entered the first round with the worst home record among first-round teams, yet they took Game 6 at Xfinity Mobile Arena on Thursday night. 

An impressive 106-93 victory forced a winner-take-all Game 7 on the road.

NBA Gives Celtics-Sixers Favorable Scheduling

The NBA wasted no time in announcing the scheduling for what will be a nail-biting series decider in Boston. Game 7 will be held Saturday night in the prime-time spotlight. 

Tip-off is at 7:30 p.m. ET at TD Garden and will air nationally on NBC and stream on Peacock. 

The slot for the game comes after the Kentucky Derby, ensuring maximum visibility rather than an awkward afternoon window. 

According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Celtics and the Sixers got this time thanks to results from the first round elsewhere.

“Had the Timberwolves lost, Sixers-Celtics would’ve been pushed on to Amazon’s Prime Video to stream at 4:30 p.m., not exactly prime placement for two of the league’s marquee franchises and two of the country’s largest media markets,” the source wrote”

Unlike Boston and Philadelphia, Minnesota made sure they avoided any nerve-wracking Game 7 by beating the Denver Nuggets in six games. With the New York Knicks also closing out their series on Thursday, it freed up the premier broadcast window.

This development is a welcome relief for Sixers fans, who have been forced to endure a fragmented viewing experience throughout the first round. The league’s new media deal stripped local broadcast rights from NBC Sports Philadelphia for these early playoff games, forcing viewers to hunt across other platforms like Prime Video, NBC, and Peacock. 

With Game 7 on NBC, all the viewing hassle has been taken care of and it also eliminated any potential early-afternoon Prime Video scenario for these two historic franchises.

A Big Game 7 Coming In Boston 

The good news is that fans tuning in to watch should expect the best of basketball from both franchises. The Celtics who entered as favorites will be looking to punch a second-round ticket on home court. Boston has historically thrived in elimination scenarios like this and they took out the Sixers in Game 7 back in 2023. 

GettyBoston Celtics forward Jaylen Brown drives the ball. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

Yet the Sixers have proven they can steal wins in enemy territory. Philadelphia took both Game 2 and Game 5 at TD Garden, outplaying the Celtics on their floor, limiting them to under 100 points in both contests and exposing defensive lapses that Joe Mazzulla’s squad couldn’t correct quickly enough.

Tyrese Maxey led the way in Game 6 with 30 points, while Joel Embiid contributed a double-double. The Celtics couldn’t get their offensive game in order as both Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum both scored below 20 points.

The victory knotted the series at 3-3 in Boston. The Celtics remain favorites, however, with Embiid returning at just the right time, the Sixers will pose a serious threat. 

The star center missed the first three games of the series recovering from an appendectomy surgery