Basketball
Sixers force Celtics into deciding Game Seven
Reuters
The Philadelphia 76ers ground out an 82-75 win over the Boston Celtics on Wednesday to force a deciding Game Seven in their Eastern Conference second-round playoff series.
Philadelphia’s season-saving victory was far from pretty, but they avoided elimination with a gritty effort that tied the best-of-seven series at 3-3 and set up the decider in Boston on Saturday.
Jrue Holiday had 20 points for Philadelphia, who beat top seed Chicago in the opening round, and four of his teammates finished in double figures.
Boston’s Paul Pierce recorded 24 points and 10 rebounds while Kevin Garnett had 20 and 11 but no other Celtics player scored more than nine and they finished with just 33 percent shooting from the field.
The 76ers led by four going into the fourth quarter but pulled away with an 8-1 run to seal the win.
