The Celtics mounted a small run in the fourth quarter, but the middle quarters were the doom of Joe Mazzulla's team on Thursday night.
For the second straight game, the Boston Celtics had a chance to close out the Philadelphia 76ers in the Eastern Conference playoffs first round, and were unable to, falling 106-93 on Thursday night in Philadelphia.
As a result, the series is tied 3-3 and we are headed for a Game 7 on Saturday.
Here's what you need to know from a disappointing Game 6:
Celtics can't stop role players, again
Quentin Grimes had 18 points for the 76ers in Game 5, and while the Celtics held him to just two in Game 6, the rest of the squad got in on the action.
Tyrese Maxey led the way with 30 points and Joel Embiid had 19, but Paul George had 23 and VJ Edgecombe had 14, as did Kelly Oubre.
The Celtics did a nice job limiting Embiid's scoring, but if they can't stop the peripheral players on the roster, they will see their season end on Saturday.
Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) drives against Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey (0) during the second quarter at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Bill Streicher-Imagn ImagesInside the numbers
--Boston led by three at the end of the first quarter, but the middle quarters were the doom for Joe Mazzulla's team: The 76ers won the second quarter by 12 points and the third quarter by 10.
--The Celtics reserve group mounted a comeback in the fourth quarter, getting within 14 at one point, but they couldn't close the gap further.
--Because the game was a blowout, Boston's starters didn't play as many minutes. Jaylen Brown led the way with 18 points while Jayson Tatum had 17 on 6-of-13 shooting.
--Once again, the Celtics struggled to get outside scoring. Pritchard had 14 points, but was just 6-of-16 from the floor. Derrick White had 11 on 3-of-8 shooting and no one else was in double figures.
--One of the most prolific three-point shooting teams in the league, Boston was just 12-of-41 (29 percent). They also were only 9-of-16 at the foul line.
--The Celtics were also out-rebounded by two, 48-46.
Looking ahead
At this point, all the pressure is on the Celtics. They were the better team in the regular season and earned the No. 2 seed. Furthermore, they have the healthier roster and championship expectations, especially with top-seeded Detroit on the ropes against Orlando.
If the Celtics miss this opportunity, the roster could be looking at some serious changes in the offseason.
The game will be played at 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday. It will air on NBC.
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