Joel Embiid delivered when it mattered most, and the Philadelphia 76ers followed his lead with a defensive masterclass to keep their season alive.
Facing elimination on the road, Philadelphia stunned the Boston Celtics with a 113-97 Game 5 win at TD Garden, fueled by a dominant performance from their MVP and a fourth-quarter collapse from Boston.
Embiid finished with 33 points and controlled the game down the stretch, but it was the defensive turnaround that defined the night.
“Obviously you don’t want to go home, so you do whatever it takes,” Embiid said. “I thought defensively we did a much better job, especially not overhelping as we did last game. And yeah, then offensively it becomes a little easier when you’re making shots. We definitely made more shots than we did last game. So that’s a good combination when you want to win a basketball game.”
The Celtics led by one entering the fourth quarter, but what followed was one of the most dramatic momentum swings of the postseason. Philadelphia outscored Boston 28-11, while the Celtics missed their final 14 shots, a drought that completely flipped the game.
Boston star Jayson Tatum acknowledged the shift after the loss.
“First of all, give them credit,” Tatum said. “They played well. And yeah, a few looks that we felt good about that we just didn’t make. But sometimes that happens. You know, it’s just tough. Not scoring the way you want to puts a lot of pressure on your defense, and they made some plays at the other end.”
While the Celtics struggled, Embiid elevated. After a quieter first half, he attacked the paint relentlessly after the break and took full control.
“I think you got to find the right mix,” Embiid said of his shot selection. “To start the game, it was a little bit more of outside than in. And then in the second half, it was both. But then again, inside, I feel pretty good about my chances of going one-on-one against anybody in this league, and I don’t think that I can be stopped. So I just took advantage of what they were giving me.”
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