Did the Celtics win Game 6, or did the 76ers give it away?
The Boston Celtics defeated the Philadelphia 76ers 95-86 in Game 6 of their series on Thursday night, managing to force a Game 7 despite a slow start from Jayson Tatum.
Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey carried the load for Philadelphia, but the 76ers didn't take full advantage of Tatum's struggles, leading just 73-71 through three quarters. James Harden made costly mistakes along the way as well.
It was an opportunity lost for Philly, as Tatum turned it up a notch in the final quarter and ultimately finished with 19 points, nine rebounds and six assists.
But was the final score something one could chalk up to the 76ers letting one slip, or was it a matter of the Celtics reaching out and grabbing the victory? In other words, did Philadelphia lose the game, or did Boston win it?
Shannon Sharpe shared his thoughts on the matter with Skip Bayless on "Undisputed."
"If you're the Sixers you have to be kicking yourself," Sharpe said. "Jayson Tatum had one point at the half and three points at the end of three quarters. Tatum was terrible, but for five minutes, he played like one of the top five players in the world."
Tatum scored 16 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter — including 4-for-5 from 3-point range — leading Boston on a 14-3 run through the last 5:57 of the game.
"He out-scored the Sixers by himself," Sharpe said. "The Sixers have to be kicking themselves. If they lose this series, I don't know if Doc's going to come back. I'm going to be honest with you — I think the Sixers lost this game — no, I'm going to say Boston won it."
Celtics stave off elimination vs. Sixers as Jayson Tatum scores 16 points in the fourth quarter
Harden finished with 13 points, nine assists, and seven rebounds, but struggled with a game-high five turnovers. He also went 0-for-4 from the field, 0-for-2 from 3-point range, and 0-for-2 from the free-throw line in the fourth quarter.
The Sixers as a team went cold in the fourth, only scoring 13 points on 5-of-20 shooting and 0-for-8 from 3, leaving the door open for Boston to hit a few shots and take control of the game late, which they did.
Game 7 is on Sunday in Boston.
