Tyrese Maxey Makes Honest Jayson Tatum Admission After Win Over Celtics

News ArticlePublishedMay 03, 2026 at 01:45 PM EDTBy Cole SullivanThe 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