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Tim Bontemps
multiple authors
Boston–the philadelphia 76ers Down but not out.
ahead by 33 points joel embiid25 points and 10 rebounds tyreese maxi And saw a great fourth quarter on defense boston celtics Missing its final 14 shots, Philadelphia emerged with one 113-97 The win Tuesday in Game 5 of this Eastern Conference first-round series.
As a result, the 76ers – trailing 3-2 in the series – will get another chance to win at home in Game 6 on Thursday night.
“Obviously you don’t want to go home, so you do whatever you have to do,” said Embiid, who also had eight assists. “I thought defensively we did a much better job, especially not having as much help as last game. And yes, offensively it makes it a little easier when you’re making shots. We definitely made more shots than last game. So it’s a good combination when you want to win basketball games.”
The Celtics held an 86–85 lead early in the fourth quarter with 12 good minutes remaining and won at least one playoff series for the ninth time in the last 10 postseasons. But while 12 good minutes were played, it was not by Boston.
Instead, it was the 76ers who outshot the Celtics 28-11 and held them to a disappointing 3-for-22 shooting effort – including 1-for-14 from 2-point range. According to Elias Sports Bureau, the 14 consecutive misses to close out a game were the longest such streak in the playoffs since 2005.
“First of all, give them credit,” said jayson tatumWho led the Celtics with 24 points and 16 rebounds in 40 minutes. “They played well. And yes, we felt good about some looks that we didn’t make.
“But sometimes it happens. You know, it’s very tough. Not scoring the way you want to score puts a lot of pressure on your defense, and they made some plays on the other end.”
Fourth quarter shooting problems capped off another disappointing offensive performance at home for the Celtics – something that has become a storyline in many of their deep playoff runs over the past several years. Since the start of the 2023 playoffs – coach Joe Mazzulla’s first with the team – Boston is 19-12 in home games and 17-7 on the road.
They are also 1-7 at home while shooting less than 30% from 3-point range, which they have done in both of their losses this series.
“I don’t know,” said Peyton PritchardWho had 12 points off the bench for Boston when asked about the difference between the Celtics at home and on the road. “We’ve got to figure it out. I can’t really put my finger on it, but honestly, it feels like we’ve been better on the road. We don’t want it to be like that. We want to dominate at home and on the road. That’s definitely got to be fixed.”
But blaming this game solely on Boston’s poor shooting would be detrimental to the effort of Philadelphia, who looked like a different team from Sunday’s 32-point loss at home in Game 4.
It started with Embiid, who scored 18 of his points on 7-for-10 shooting in the second half Tuesday.
“That was impressive,” Maxi said.
And he did so by starting to wreak havoc in the paint. According to GeniusIQ, Embiid’s average shot distance was 16.5 feet in the first half, which dropped to 9.3 feet in the second half – the stats also show he didn’t take a 3-pointer in the second half.
This was the second-highest drop in his career in a game where he took at least 10 shots in each half. And going up against a Celtics team that has undersized — especially, one that hasn’t had a foe in a long time al horford Leaning on him in the paint – Embiid had his way with Boston as the game went on.
“I think you’ve got to find the right mix,” Embiid said of his shot selection. “To start the game, it was a little more outside than inside. And then in the second half, it was both. But then, inside, I feel pretty good about my chances going one-on-one against anybody in this league, and I don’t think I’m going to be stopped. So I took advantage of what they were giving me.”
76ers coach Nick Nurse reduced his rotation to essentially six players quentin grimes Gave up an impressive 18 points in 24 minutes to Philadelphia, while also providing some excellent man-to-man defense. No other reserves played more than seven minutes. Embiid only played less than 39 minutes, VJ Edgecombe Just under 40, maxi 42 and paul george 43.
Only time will tell if Philadelphia can handle that kind of minutes load playing at playoff intensity every other day. But what mattered Tuesday was that it was enough for the 76ers to give themselves another chance.
“It’s going to take everything we’ve got,” Maxey said. “It’s going to take even more effort than it took tonight.”
