Jaylen Brown and the Boston Celticsfailed to close out their first-round series against the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday night. The Celtics entered Game 5 at TD Garden with a commanding 3-1 lead and the opportunity to punch their ticket in the next round.
Brown struggled with his shot, going 9-of-23 for 22 points. The five-time All-Star went 0-of-6 in the fourth quarter for just two points.
Joel Embiidwilled the Sixers to victory in this one. The former NBA MVP went off for 33 points on 12-of-23 shooting, with four rebounds and eight assists. Embiid led Philadelphia to a 113-97 victory, keeping their season alive.
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Brown got brutally honest during his postgame press conference.
The 6-foot-6 forward was asked if he thought the Celtics were the team that played harder in Game 5. Brown admitted that he is unsure.
"It's tough to say,” Brown said. “I feel like we play hard. I also feel like they play hard as well.”
What Brown can say without a shadow of doubt is that the Celtics came up short. He hit his team with the hard truth about their performance on Tuesday night.
“It just wasn't good enough from us, it wasn't good enough on my behalf,” he said. “We just got to be better."
This series now shifts back to Philadelphia for Game 6. The Celtics have another opportunity to close it out, but they will need to do it on the road. There’s also no denying that the momentum is with the 76ers heading into another do-or-die showdown.
Game 5 from Wells Fargo Center is on Thursday, with tipoff scheduled for 8:00 p.m. ET.
