Embiid’s 33 Points Force Game 7 as Celtics Lose Tatum to Injury

Key facts

• Joel Embiid scored 33 points in Game 5, including 13 in the second quarter and 10 in the third.
• Tyrese Maxey recorded 25 points and 10 rebounds for the 76ers.
• Jayson Tatum had 24 points and 16 rebounds in Game 5 but is ruled out for Game 7 due to left knee soreness.
• The Celtics led the series 3-1 before losing Game 5 and Game 6.
• Boston’s offense scored 28 more points per 100 possessions in wins (129.1) than in losses (101.1).
• The 23rd playoff series between the Celtics and 76ers is the ninth to go seven games.
• Game 7 will be played in Boston on Saturday, with the winner facing the New York Knicks.

A Series Reversed in Two Games

The Boston Celtics appeared to have the Eastern Conference’s best team on a clear path to the conference semifinals. Up 3-1 in the first-round series against the Philadelphia 76ers, they led by 13 points in the second half of Game 5. But the script has flipped entirely. The Celtics have scored just 104 points over their last 123 offensive possessions — a rate of 85 per 100 — and their season now hinges on a Game 7 without their leading scorer. Philadelphia, a wild card all season due to injuries and inconsistency, has shown it can play like one of the league’s elite when healthy. After dropping two home games to fall behind 3-1, the 76ers won Game 5 in Boston and forced a decisive seventh game. The series, the 23rd playoff meeting between these storied franchises, is now the ninth to go the full seven games.

Embiid’s Second-Half Dominance

Joel Embiid, less than three weeks removed from an emergency appendectomy that sidelined him for the end of the regular season and the start of the playoffs, delivered a performance that kept Philadelphia’s season alive. He scored 33 points in Game 5, with just two points in the first quarter on 1-of-6 shooting before erupting for 13 in the second, 10 in the third and eight in the fourth. “He was dominant. Especially the second half, he was extremely dominant,” said guard Tyrese Maxey, who added 25 points and 10 rebounds. “He did a really good job of just inserting himself. I was proud of him tonight, man. That’s the dominance that you go into a playoff game with: He did that.” In the fourth quarter, the Sixers unleashed a 12-0 run that turned a three-point lead into a 15-point runaway, sealing a 113-97 victory.

Boston’s Offensive Collapse Without Tatum

The Celtics’ offense has been the series’ defining variable. In their three wins, Boston scored 129.1 points per 100 possessions; in their three losses, that figure plummeted to 101.1 — a swing of 28 points per 100. The difference correlates directly with three-point shooting: the Celtics shot better than 36% from beyond the arc in all three wins and below 30% in all three losses. Game 6 marked their worst free-throw rate of the series, converting just 9 of 16 attempts, and their offensive rebounding percentage dropped to 16.7%. Now, with Jayson Tatum ruled out for Game 7 due to left knee soreness, the Celtics must redirect their offense entirely. Tatum had been the focal point of the attack, drawing Joel Embiid as the screener’s defender on 62 ball-screens — the seventh most common such combination in the playoffs, despite Embiid playing only three of the first six games.

The Numbers Behind the Turnaround

Embiid’s impact extends beyond scoring. He has been the screener’s defender on 62 ball-screens set for Tatum, a matchup that has shaped Boston’s offensive strategy. With Tatum out, the Celtics lose their primary weapon for exploiting that matchup. In Game 5, Jaylen Brown scored 22 points but acknowledged defensive shortcomings: “I feel like he had too many easy baskets. We’ve got to make him work. Tonight he got a bunch of easy baskets, and I feel like that propelled him.” Paul George contributed 16 points and nine rebounds for the seventh-seeded Sixers, who lost Games 3 and 4 at home before regrouping. Neemias Queta had eight points and 14 rebounds for Boston in Game 5, while Tatum posted 24 points and 16 rebounds in a losing effort.

Stakes and Historical Context

The Celtics entered the playoffs as the No. 2 seed, seeking their ninth conference semifinal appearance in the last 10 years. For Philadelphia, the path has been anything but smooth: Embiid’s appendectomy, a season of inconsistent health, and a 3-1 series deficit. Yet the 76ers now have a chance to complete the comeback on Boston’s home floor. The winner will face the New York Knicks in the conference semifinals. For Boston, the absence of Tatum — their leading scorer and primary playmaker — raises profound questions about whether the remaining roster can generate enough offense against a Sixers defense keyed by Embiid.

Game 7: A Rubber Match Without the Star

Game 7 is scheduled for Saturday in Boston, broadcast on NBC and Peacock. The Celtics will have to rely on Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, and a supporting cast that has struggled to score efficiently in losses. The Sixers, meanwhile, have momentum and a healthy Embiid, who has grown stronger with each game since his return. “He was dominant,” Maxey repeated. “That’s the dominance that you go into a playoff game with.” The question now is whether Boston can find a counter without its best player — or whether Philadelphia’s wild-card season will culminate in an improbable series victory.

The bottom line

• Joel Embiid scored 33 points in Game 5, overcoming a slow start to lead the 76ers to a 113-97 win and force Game 7.
• Jayson Tatum is ruled out for Game 7 with left knee soreness, leaving Boston without its leading scorer and primary ball-handler.
• Boston’s offense has been wildly inconsistent: 129.1 points per 100 possessions in wins versus 101.1 in losses, driven by three-point shooting.
• Embiid has been the screener’s defender on 62 ball-screens for Tatum, a key tactical matchup now moot for Game 7.
• The winner of Game 7 will face the New York Knicks in the conference semifinals.
• The 23rd playoff series between the Celtics and 76ers is the ninth to go seven games, adding to a historic rivalry.