76ers nip Celtics to force Game 7 in East semifinal

Philadelphia — A tough and determined Philadelphia 76ers team beat the Boston Celtics 82-75 on Wednesday, squaring their NBA Eastern Conference semifinal series at 3-3, setting up a deciding Game 7 in Boston.

Jrue Holiday scored 20 points and Elton Brand had 13 points and 10 rebounds for the Sixers as the pattern of the series continued with alternating wins.

Boston’s Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo could be playing their last game together Saturday if they can’t find a way to hang onto the ball and put away this Sixers team.

Former 76ers All-Star Allen Iverson earned a roaring standing ovation when he presented the game ball. By the end, the fans were on their feet for Holiday, Brand and Andre Iguodala for keeping the eighth-seeded Sixers alive for at least one more game.

The Celtics posted ugly numbers across the board: 33 percent shooting, 17 turnovers and 3 for 14 3-point shooting.

Pierce had 24 points and 10 rebounds, and Garnett had 20 points and 11 boards.

The Sixers again failed to put up the sparkling numbers usually required for a deep postseason run. They missed 8 of 9 3-pointers, shot a woeful 17 of 28 from the free throw line and had 12 turnovers.

The Sixers wrote “Huddle Up and Fight” on their locker room chalkboard. They did just that and are now one win away from reaching the conference finals for the first time since 2001.

Unlike Game 5, when the Sixers collapsed in the third quarter and blew a lead, they suddenly found a groove in front of 20,403 fans.

The Sixers started hitting free throws, kept turnovers to a minimum (two), and fed the ball to a starting lineup that had been largely outproduced by a fantastic bench.

It was only the differential in free-throw percentage that kept this game alive.

Pierce led the parade to the line for the Boston. He made his first 11 attempts for a Celtics team that was 17 for 17 through three quarters. The Celtics made only 19 field goals through three.

The Sixers not only struggled from the stripe, they also couldn’t find their way from the 3-point line and missed their first six attempts until Iguodala nailed one for a 58-52 lead.

This time, the Sixers weren’t blowing a lead.

Evan Turner went right-to-left on a drive down the lane for a nine-point lead. /AP