![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GettyImages_Embiid_Gm5.jpg\")
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Joel Embiid goes in for 2 of his game-high 33 points in the 76ers\u2019 pivotal Game 5 victory.<\/p>\n
\u2022\u00a0Download the NBA App<\/a><\/p>\n Now it gets interesting. Now it gets a sixth game, in Philadelphia.<\/p>\n And now it appears Joel Embiid will stay upright after all.<\/p>\n These are intriguing times for the 76ers and a most curious time for the Boston Celtics, who couldn\u2019t close out this first-round playoff series<\/a> at home Tuesday, and therefore invited suspense and who knows what else to creep into a best-of-seven that\u2019s no longer so simple.<\/p>\n The Sixers used Embiid and a dominant if not desperate fourth quarter to keep their season alive and keep the Celtics from advancing. That\u2019s because the Celtics were good for just 11 points in the quarter. This might be a series, after all.<\/p>\n And it just demonstrates once again that in the NBA playoffs, nothing is ever for certain and scenarios can change in an instant.<\/p>\n So this is where the Sixers and Celtics are at:<\/p>\n If the Sixers win Game 6 and Embiid stays healthy, this historical rivalry between these franchises will demand another Game Seven and chapter to be written.<\/p>\n If the Celtics win and eliminate Philly, then they\u2019ll regain the shine they had when they assumed a 3-1 lead and a rosy post-season outlook.<\/p>\n Everyone will find out in a few days.<\/p>\n In the meantime, here are takeaways from the Sixers\u2019 13-point comeback Game 5 win:<\/p>\n 1. Embiid falls, rises, conquers<\/p>\n There was a hauntingly hushed moment on the Sixers\u2019 bench late in the third quarter when Embiid landed awkwardly on his left leg and instantly and perhaps reflexively reached for his knee and limped away. Where have we seen this before?<\/p>\n Lucky for Embiid and the Sixers, the angst was temporary. Following a few minutes in the locker room for examination, he checked back in and changed the game.<\/p>\n Look: Embiid\u2019s health could determine this series. He\u2019s that good \u2026 and that brittle. This was just his second game back from an appendix injury, for which he underwent surgery 19 days earlier, which sidelined him for a few weeks. He thoroughly thrashed any defense and defender the Celtics threw his way. Boston isn\u2019t offering up Al Horford anymore.<\/p>\n And while Neemias Queta is truly among the most improved players in the league this year \u2014 and did grab 14 rebounds in this game \u2014 the Embiid Assignment is on another level of difficulty for him and Luka Garza and Nikola Vucevic.<\/p>\n The other bad news for the Celtics is Embiid isn\u2019t parking himself beyond the 3-point arc anymore. He\u2019s doing work down low. He\u2019s drawing fouls, getting to the line or dropping layups or 10-foot fadeaways.<\/p>\n Meaning, he\u2019s playing to his strengths and exposing the Celtics\u2019 weakness.<\/p>\n \u201cHe put a lot of pressure on us,\u201d said Jayson Tatum.<\/p>\n All told, his 33 points while lasting 39 minutes represented one of his better playoff efforts. He\u2019s scary when healthy. And this was an example why his desire shouldn\u2019t be questioned, only his body, which betrays him far too much and gave him another scare Tuesday.<\/p>\n Where would this series be if Embiid were healthy from the start?<\/p>\n 2. Celtics lose killer instinct late<\/p>\n They were up 13 points in the second half and seemingly in control and then took their foot off the gas. Or maybe the Sixers forcibly removed such foot. Or a combination of the two. Anyway, the Celtics turned to vapor in the fourth quarter and the Sixers were only too happy to take advantage.<\/p>\n Like, Boston was 3-for-22 shooting vapor.<\/p>\n There was little to nothing from Tatum and Jaylen Brown. They each had two points in the quarter. Meanwhile, the supporting cast, which defers to the two stars, looked uncomfortable when asked to do more than usual.<\/p>\n And Boston was getting beat to loose balls and rebounds. The Celtics had just as many turnovers as baskets, and Tatum missed two of their four missed free throws in seven attempts. They almost went five minutes before scoring in the quarter.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you\u2019re not scoring the way you want to, it puts a lot of pressure on your defense,\u201d Tatum said.<\/p>\n The collapse actually began late in the third quarter and escalated from there. The Celtics allowed 35 points in the third, and a game was suddenly tightened. And the Celtics finished the night by missing 16 straight shots.<\/p>\n \u201cGot some good looks,\u201d said coach Joe Mazzulla. \u201cWe weren\u2019t able to capitalize.\u201d<\/p>\n 3. Maxey too tough once again<\/p>\n He\u2019s everywhere, snatching loose balls, soaring over taller players to grab contested rebounds, dropping jumpers and of course changing gears while going downhill to the rim and finishing strong.<\/p>\n He has been superb this series and the most consistent source of production for the Sixers. His value, pride, image and impact are all growing by the game. If there was any doubt previously, let it be erased by the receipts \u2014 Maxey is built for the stage.<\/p>\n He had 25 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, two steals and just two turnovers in 43 minutes. The Celtics were justifiably concerned with Embiid but Maxey created nearly as many problems in Game 5.<\/p>\n 4. Derrick White\u2019s best is needed, and quick<\/p>\n He\u2019s not the main reason this series is continuing, but a rather curious one. The Celtics are getting little from a player who usually makes big plays in a variety of ways. It has been a tough series for White, who seems caught in a fog.<\/p>\n In the five games he\u2019s shooting 30% from the floor and 21 from deep and averaging eight points. He also has his hands full defensively with Maxey and sometimes VJ Edgecombe. With Tatum back in the fold and Brown coming off an MVP-flavored season, White can roam free and sometimes unguarded. Yet that hasn\u2019t helped so far.<\/p>\n His scoring average in this series is roughly half of where it was during the season. And his missed shots have harmed possessions.<\/p>\n Mazzulla stuck with him regardless. That\u2019s how much faith the coach has in a player that helped win a championship. White played 36 minutes. Payton Pritchard has been a better option this series but was pulled in the fourth quarter, when the Sixers flexed and the Celtics went cold.<\/p>\n If this continues in Game 6, Mazzulla\u2019s patience could dip. It\u2019s really up to White and his current slump and whether he can recapture his level of the regular season and return to form. If not, Pritchard can expected increased minutes and touches.<\/p>\n * * *<\/p>\n Shaun Powell has covered the NBA since 1985. You can e-mail him at\u00a0spowell@nba.com<\/a>, find\u00a0his archive here<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0follow him on\u00a0X<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Joel Embiid goes in for 2 of his game-high 33 points in the 76ers\u2019 pivotal Game 5 victory.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":612598,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[64],"tags":[265946,355,99],"class_list":["post-612597","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nba","tag-celtics-sixers-game-5","tag-nba","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/612597","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=612597"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/612597\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/612598"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=612597"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=612597"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=612597"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}