Old habits are tough to break for this Boston Celtics team. In the Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown era, they have too often let opponents back into games when they should have been putting them away for good. It happened again on Tuesday night in Game 5 against the Philadelphia 76ers. With a chance to close out the series at home, the Celtics watched a 13-point third-quarter lead slip away, falling 113-97 and allowing the Sixers to head back to Philadelphia with a 3-2 series deficit.
East 1st Round: Boston leads series 3-2 76ers 113, Celtics 97
“There’s a human element to it,” Tatum said afterward. “We’re not perfect.”
The 76ers now have real belief they can extend this series. They dropped both home games earlier but showed they can compete when it counts. Leading the charge was Joel Embiid, who returned less than three weeks after an appendectomy and delivered a dominant performance: 33 points, 8 assists, and 4 rebounds in 39 minutes. Paired with Tyrese Maxey’s 25 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists, Philadelphia had the firepower to match Boston’s stars.
“He was dominant,” Maxey said of Embiid. “He did a really good job of just inserting himself.”
Embiid was unstoppable in the post and drew double teams, kicking the ball out to open shooters. “I feel pretty good about my chances of going 1-on-1 with anyone in this league,” he said. “I don’t think I can be stopped.”
Sixers coach Nick Nurse praised the confidence it gave his team, noting they need to keep feeding Embiid in the post to create open looks for everyone else.
For the Celtics, the loss was disappointing. They shifted away from the team-first style that carried them all season and leaned too heavily on one-on-one plays late in the game. With key veterans no longer on the roster, their supporting cast had thrived on effort and hustle all year — but that intensity was missing when it mattered most.
“It just wasn’t good enough from us,” Jaylen Brown said.
This kind of late collapse has cost Boston in past postseasons, and it raises questions again about their ability to finish strong. The Celtics had a chance to rest and prepare while other Eastern Conference series were still going, but now they must travel to Philadelphia for Game 6 on Thursday.
Embiid’s mentality was clear: he pushed to return and help his team, not wanting to spend the summer wondering “what if.” One more strong effort could force a Game 7 back in Boston, where anything can happen.
The Celtics know they need to bring their best — and play with the guts and focus they showed all regular season — to wrap this up and move forward.