Magic Johnson Makes Huge Celtics Claim After Blowout Win Over 76ers

Magic Johnson was seriously impressed with what he saw from the Boston Celtics after their dominant 128-96 win over the Philadelphia 76ers. The victory pushed Boston to a 3-1 lead in the series and moved them one step closer to the next round, but what really stood out was the way they did it.

This was not just a normal playoff win. The Celtics controlled the game on both ends, rained in threes, defended at a high level, and looked like a team hitting form at exactly the right time. For Magic, that was enough to call it the best all-around team performance of the playoffs so far, which is high praise coming from someone who knows what championship basketball is supposed to look like.

I just witnessed the best all around team performance in the NBA Playoffs so far by the Boston Celtics in their victory over the Philadelphia 76ers 128-96! Their defense was amazing and offensively they made a total of 24 3's! The Celtics big three were fantastic - Tatum had 30…

— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) April 27, 2026

Johnson took to X to praise Boston saying, "I just witnessed the best all around team performance in the NBA Playoffs so far by the Boston Celtics in their victory over the Philadelphia 76ers 128-96! Their defense was amazing and offensively they made a total of 24 3's! The Celtics big three were fantastic - Tatum had 30 points, Brown had 20 points and Pritchard was the man that had the crowd going crazy with his dynamic 32 points off the bench! Celtics Coach Joe Mazzulla has his team playing their best basketball at the right time!"

A Closer Look at How Game Four Played Out Between the Celtics and the 76ers

Boston made Game 4 look less like a playoff battle and more like a warning to the rest of the East.

The Celtics went into Philadelphia and crushed the 76ers 128-96, taking a 3-1 lead in the series and putting themselves one win away from advancing. The Sixers had Joel Embiid back, which should have given them a major lift, but Boston killed that momentum almost immediately.

Payton Pritchard ended up being the spark that broke the game open. He came off the bench and played with zero fear, dropping 32 points and hitting big shots whenever Philadelphia looked like it might find some life. Jayson Tatum controlled the game as both a scorer and playmaker, while Jaylen Brown gave Boston another steady scoring option.

What made the win so convincing was how complete it felt. The Celtics were sharper, tougher, faster to loose balls, better on the boards, and much more dangerous from three. Philadelphia leaned heavily into Embiid early, but once that first burst faded, the Sixers never really found a second answer.

Tyrese Maxey did get going later, but his slow start hurt badly. By then, Boston had already built a cushion and the game was moving in one direction.

Now the series shifts back to Boston, where the Celtics have a chance to close things out and keep building the feeling that they are peaking at exactly the right time.

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This story was originally published April 26, 2026 at 10:09 PM.