Tyrese Maxey Makes Honest Jayson Tatum Admission After Win Over Celtics

The Philadelphia 76ers ended the Boston Celtics' season on Saturday with a 109–100 win in Game 7 of their first-round series.

Philadelphia was powered by standout performances from Joel Embiid, who finished with 34 points, 12 rebounds, and six assists, and Tyrese Maxey, who added 30 points, 11 rebounds, and seven assists.

For Boston, star forward Jayson Tatum was sidelined after head coach Joe Mazzulla and the team's medical staff decided it was safer for him to sit out due to knee stiffness following discomfort late in Game 6, which briefly sent him to the locker room for treatment.

After the game, Maxey admitted the 76ers did not view Tatum's absence as a break.

"Once we found out Jayson Tatum was out, honestly we felt like the game was going to be even harder," Maxey said. "We knew they were going to come out and play free, open-minded. Like Derrick White shot the ball 26 times, 16 threes, and some of those were going to go in - and they did.

"And we knew it was going to be difficult. As soon as I found out, I told Joel it isn't going to be easier. It's definitely going to be harder."

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While the Celtics ultimately fell short, Maxey's point reflected the reality of Boston's season-long resilience without Tatum, where they still managed to establish themselves as one of the East's top teams.

They learned how to play and win without him, and his absence arguably shifted more pressure onto the 76ers to close the series and take advantage of the opportunity. Philadelphia found a way to do that, despite a few late comeback pushes from Boston in the second half.

The 76ers will now have a quick turnaround, as they travel to New York on Monday night to take on the Knicks at Madison Square Garden, with tipoff set for 8 p.m. ET.

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This story was originally published May 3, 2026 at 10:45 AM.