The season is not over for the Philadelphia 76ers.
Joel Embiid stepped up for a dominant second half to lead the 76ers to a 113-97 win in Game 5 Tuesday night to extend the series and Philadelphia’s season. Boston will take a 3-2 series lead into Game 6.
The Celtics led by as much as 63-50 in the third quarter and appeared ready to celebrate a series win over the rival 76ers on their home court. But Embiid scored 18 of his game-high 33 points after halftime to lead the rally from the 13-point second-half deficit.
The 76ers dominated the fourth quarter and silenced a stunned TD Garden crowd. Boston waved the white flag with 2:16 remaining and Philadelphia holding a 109-95 lead, sending Jayson Tatum to the bench.
Embiid in All-NBA form for his second game back
The game was just the second of the playoffs for Embiid, who missed Games 1-3 of the series after undergoing an emergency appendectomy late in the regular season. He was rusty in his Game 4 return, shooting 9 of 21 from the floor in a 128-96 Celtics win.
But Embiid was back in All-NBA form Tuesday night despite an 0-for-5 effort from 3. He instead focused on attacking from the paint and taking advantage of double teams as Boston’s defense evolved to focus on him.
Embiid finished with 8 assists, 4 rebounds and 1 block in addition to his 33 points. He shot 12 of 23 from the field and 9 of 10 from the line. He did so after returning from an injury scare during Philadelphia’s second-half rally.
Embiid leaves for locker room late
Embiid clashed knees with Jaylen Brown late in the third quarter as Boston held a 74-70 lead and left immediately for the locker room. But his exit was brief, and he returned to the lineup before the end of the quarter.
The 76ers, meanwhile, chipped the Celtics lead down to 86-85 by the end of the third. Paul George then opened the fourth with a 3 for an 88-86 Philadelphia lead, and the 76ers never trailed again.
An explosive Celtics offensive capable of scoring points in bunches went dormant, and the 76ers cruised to the final horn with a 28-11 advantage in the fourth quarter.
Tyrese Maxey led the backcourt effort for Philadelphia with 25 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals. George flirted with a triple-double, tallying 16 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists and 2 steals while shooting 4 of 9 from 3. Quentin Grimes added 18 points off the bench on a 4-of-7 effort from 3.
Celtics shooters go cold
Philadelphia shot 15 of 42 (36%) from long distance, while Boston’s shooters went cold from 3 for the second time this series in an 11-of-39 (28%) effort. The Celtics shot 40% from the field against a 50% effort by the 76ers.
Tatum posted 24 points, 16 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals in the loss while shooting 8 of 19 from the field. Brown added 22 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists, but struggled on a 9-of-23 shooting night. Payton Pritchard was the only other Celtic in double figures with 12 points off the bench.
Game 6 is scheduled for Thursday night in Philadelphia. Time and TV are TBD.
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