The season is not over for the Philadelphia 76ers.
Joel Embiid stepped up for a dominant second half to lead the 76ers to a 113-97 win in Game 5 Tuesday night to extend the series and Philadelphia’s season. The series will extend to Game 6 in Philadelphia Thursday night with Boston holding a 3-2 lead.
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The Celtics led by as much as 63-50 in the third quarter and appeared ready to celebrate a series win over the rival 76ers on their home court. But Embiid scored 18 of his game-high 33 points after halftime to lead the rally from the 13-point second-half deficit.
The 76ers dominated the fourth quarter and silenced a stunned TD Garden crowd. Boston waved the white flag with 2:16 remaining and Philadelphia holding a 109-95 lead, sending Jayson Tatum to the bench.
The game was just the second of the playoffs for Embiid, who missed Games 1-3 of the series after undergoing an emergency appendectomy late in the regular season. He was rusty in his Game 4 return, shooting 9 of 21 from the floor in a 128-96 Celtics win.
But Embiid was back in All-NBA form Tuesday night despite an 0-for-5 effort from 3. He instead focused on attacking the basket and taking advantage of double teams as Boston’s defense evolved to focus on him. He finished with 8 assists, 4 rebounds and 1 block in addition to his 33 points.
This story will be updated.
