The Philadelphia 76ers, with their backs against the wall as they faced a 3-1 hole against the Boston Celtics, refused to give up in Game 5 and proceeded to extend their NBA playoff series.
Joel Embiidrecorded 33 points, four rebounds, eight assists and one block to lead the Sixers to a 113-97 victory over the second-seeded Celtics on Tuesday night.
Tyrese Maxey added 25 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, two steals and one block, as he helped Philly erase Boston's 13-point lead in the third quarter.
A 24-9 run to start the final quarter allowed the Sixers to turn things around and eventually cut the Celtics' series lead to 3-2, forcing a Game 6.
Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown combined for 46 points for Boston, but they were the only members of the Beantown team to score more than 15 points.
Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images
After the contest, NBA legend Magic Johnson was full of praise for the Sixers, especially since they were able to take down a strong Celtics squad on the road.
Boston had a 30-11 record at home during the regular season, and considering that the Celtics blew out the 76ers by 32 points in Game 4, Johnson thought the series was over. However, Embiid and company certainly proved the NBA legend wrong.
Johnson, for his part, made sure to apologize to the Sixers as well for doubting them.
"I have to apologize to the Philadelphia 76ers for thinking the Series was over after Game 4," Johnson wrote. "Tonight, the 76ers beat the Celtics and were led by the dominant inside play of Joel Embiid - he had 33 points and 8 assists! He had plenty of help from Tyrese Maxey’s 25 points, Paul George’s 16 points and Quentin Grimes’ 18 points off the bench which included four 3’s! Grimes also played solid on the defensive end which helped the 76ers beat the Celtics 113-97!"
The Los Angeles Lakers icon added, "My hat goes off to 76ers Coach Nick Nurse who had an awesome game plan and had his team believing that they could beat the Celtics on the road in Boston!"
The 76ers now have a chance to tie the series at 3-3 at home in Game 6. Sure enough, it will be interesting to see what kinds of adjustments the Celtics will make in order to close out the series.
As for the Sixers, they are certainly brimming with confidence right now. Should they be able to force a Game 7, the Celtics could be in big trouble.
