The Boston Celtics will try to avoid a series collapse Saturday night when they face the visiting Philadelphia 76ers in Game 7 of their Eastern Conference first-round playoff series.

Second-seeded Boston held a 3-1 lead in the series, but lost Game 5 at home and then dropped Game 6, 106-93, in Philadelphia on Thursday night. If the seventh-seeded 76ers can find a way to win Game 7 on the road, Boston would become the 14th team in NBA history to lose a series after holding a 3-1 advantage.

“I’ve been playing these guys for so long,” said Philadelphia center Joel Embiid. “I’m tired of losing to them. So we have a chance to accomplish something special. They’re a great team. You look at everything they have. That’s a super team. We just gotta go in with the mindset that we’ve had for the last two games. One play at a time. Tough environment, but we’ve been there. We won two games over there.”

Boston was 12 of 41 from 3-point territory in Thursday’s loss, after being held to 11-of-39 shooting from behind the 3-point arc in its 113-97 setback in Game 5.

“Very good game by us,” Philadelphia coach Nick Nurse said following Thursday’s victory. “I think we played really well. Probably most impressed with our defensive effort, and shot creation was good. I don’t think the shot-making was great, but the shot creation was very good.”

Boston received a scare Thursday when Jayson Tatum exited the court with 4:03 remaining in the third quarter and did not return. Tatum said he felt tightness in his left leg, but is slated to play Saturday.

“Y’all probably saw when I went to the back,” Tatum said. “So I was on the bike. My leg was just a little stiff when I came out in the third quarter. But just kind of assessing the moment, like the game was a little out of reach. We took the starters out.

“Our intentions aren’t good,” Tatum continued. “We want to go out there and play the right way and win. It’s just we just got to be a little bit more together, a little bit tougher, play with more pace, play faster. How they have played majority of the season. Then since I’ve been back (from an Achilles injury), just kind of getting back to who we are.”

Two of Boston’s three wins in the series came by more than 30 points. The Celtics won Game 1 123-91, then prevailed 128-96 in Game 4.

“We definitely made some adjustments,” Mazzulla said after Game 6. “Some of them worked, some of them didn’t. Like I said, I thought tonight the Sixers played well, and we didn’t.”

Tyrese Maxey led all scorers with 30 points in Game 6. Jaylen Brown led Boston with 18 points.

“Sometimes it’s not about the Xs and Os, it’s about the Jims and the Joes,” Maxey said. “Who you have on your team, our Jims and Joes got to be better than theirs. It’s going to be a dogfight. It’s going to be extremely difficult. Every single second will be a roller coaster ride. Us as a group, we have to stay connected. Stay with one goal in mind – that’s you’re trying to win the game.”

–Field Level Media

The Philadelphia Flyers pulled off their first postseason upset since 2012 when they knocked the Pittsburgh Penguins out of the Stanley Cup playoffs on Wednesday.

The Flyers begin their quest for another upset when they visit the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday in Raleigh, N.C., to kick off their Eastern Conference semifinal showdown. Philadelphia, which used six games to take out its in-state rival, finished 15 points back of the Hurricanes in the regular season.

Despite the odds against them, the Flyers begin the series with confidence. That starts with their last line of defense, goaltender Dan Vladar, who was a huge key to the first-round victory.

“I think I can speak for the whole locker room. There was never a doubt,” said Vladar, who posted a 1.61 goals-against average with a .937 save percentage and two shutouts in six games against Pittsburgh. “If somebody had a doubt, it’s their problem. That’s not us.”

Certainly, beating the Hurricanes would be a huge feat for the Flyers. Carolina finished atop the Eastern Conference and second overall in the league. Plus, Carolina won three of four meetings during the regular season and has claimed 16 of their last 18 encounters with the Flyers.

However, all four clashes between the clubs this season went to overtime.

“They’re a really good team, play with a lot of pace,” Philadelphia defenseman Travis Sanheim said. “We had really good games with them all year. … Really excited about the challenge.”

As good as the Flyers have been at defending, especially after the Olympic break, their abilities will be put to the test. Carolina has a lethal attack that was on full display during a first-round sweep of the Ottawa Senators.

“We’ve got to possess the puck more. That’s the next level,” Philadelphia coach Rick Tocchet said. “We have to be better at controlling the puck, but that’s controlling the ice.”

Carolina, the only team from last year’s final four to reach the second round of this year’s playoffs, was surgical in dismissing the Senators.

The Hurricanes never trailed in any of the games, propelled by goaltender Frederik Andersen’s shutout in the opener. While Andersen was stellar between the pipes while posting a 1.10 goals-against average and .955 save percentage, the Hurricanes showed off their ability to stifle opponents.

“The way we played, I thought, was really consistent, from start to finish of every game,” said Canes coach Rod Brind’Amour. “It was just the same, and everybody was dialed in. You’re not always going to win those games, but it gives you a chance to win every night.”

If there is one cause for concern for the Hurricanes — beyond the fact that 31-goal, 70-point forward Andrei Svechnikov was held without a point in the first round — it is their time off since finishing the Ottawa series on April 25. Carolina has gone one week between games.

“It’s a gift and a curse,” defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere, a former Flyer, told reporters. “If we play (well), people will be like, ‘It’s the rest.’ If we play bad, they’ll be like, ‘It was the rest.'”

To this point, the break has been a gift because it provided much-needed recovery time. Defenseman Alexander Nikishin and forward Nikolaj Ehlers practiced fully on Friday. Nikishin suffered a concussion in the clinching game, while Ehlers is poised to be back in the lineup after missing Game 4 against Ottawa due to a lower-body injury.

“We hope everyone will be ready to go, and it certainly looks like that,” Brind’Amour said.

–Field Level Media

Top-seeded Jannik Sinner recorded his 22nd consecutive victory and second-seeded Alexander Zverev also won his semifinal match on Friday to set up a top-flight title-match pairing at the Mutua Madrid Open.

Sinner cruised to a 6-2, 6-4 victory over No. 21 Arthur Fils of France in his semi to reach the Madrid championship match for the first time. On Sunday, the Italian will try to become the first men’s player to win five straight Masters 1000-level tournaments.

“I’m very happy about the general performance today. I’m trying to play the best possible tennis. Today was a very good day in the office,” Sinner said after prevailing in 86 minutes.

Zverev, a two-time Madrid champ, delivered 35 winners in a 6-2, 7-5 victory over Belgium’s rising Alexander Blockx.

He is aiming to become the fourth men’s player to win three or more Madrid titles. The others are legends Rafael Nadal (five), Roger Federer (three) and Novak Djokovic (three).

“I am very happy to be in the final,” Zverev said. “There were a lot of tough battles, especially at the start of the tournament. I am looking forward to playing Jannik again and looking forward to a tough match. The better player will win on Sunday.”

Sinner has defeated Zverev eight consecutive times, including three semifinal wins in 2026 at Indian Wells, Miami and Monte-Carlo.

“He is quite a relaxed guy and he is enjoying tennis right now,” Zverev said of Sinner. “I think tennis is very easy for him right now, the way he is playing. Maybe on Sunday I will make it a bit more difficult for him. … The last eight times I didn’t win much.

“He is the best player in the world for sure and I will try to give him a tough battle.”

Sinner’s victory over Fils was the 350th of his career. The 24-year-old is the first man born in the 2000s or later to reach the milestone.

He hit 17 winners and won 87.5% (21 of 24) of his first-serve points while taking down Fils.

“I tried to be very aggressive,” Sinner said. “I felt very comfortable on the return. In the second set, he started to serve better, so it was more difficult.”

Fils had just 10 winners and committed 24 unforced errors.

Zverev won 85% (34 of 40) of his first-serve points against Blockx. The German committed just 15 unforced errors.

Both players had six aces. Blockx, 21, saved 11 of 14 break-point opportunities.

–Field Level Media