76ers Praise 'Locked In' Joel Embiid After Game 5 vs. Celtics

The Philadelphia 76ers knew there was a lot at stake on Tuesday night. Going into Game 5 on the road against the Boston Celtics, a win for either team allows them to get one step closer to eliminating their opponent. The matchup was one of the biggest tests of Joel Embiid’s career, and the big man delivered.

From the start of Game 5, Embiid looked like a man on a mission. As he checked in for nearly the entire first quarter, Embiid produced 11 points, three rebounds, and one block as the Sixers got off to a 33-26 lead.

In the second quarter, the big man kept his foot on the gas. Over his next eight minutes on the floor, Embiid lived at the free throw line, picking up four visits to the charity stripe and knocking down all eight of his attempts successfully. Embiid tacked on another ten points before halftime.

With a 58-49 lead heading into the second half, Embiid and the Sixers couldn’t fall asleep at the wheel. The big man ensured the Sixers would keep control of the scoreboard, as Embiid led the way with eight points, two assists, one rebound, and two blocks on the defensive end throughout the entire third quarter.

After pushing himself to exhaustion, Embiid got the night off earlier than expected, checking in for just five minutes during the fourth quarter.

When he left the floor, the Sixers has a comfortable lead, and Embiid had scored a team-leading 33 points along with seven rebounds, three assists, and four blocks. While Embiid’s been dominant all season long, Tuesday’s Game 5 was the best he’s looked overall in the Eastern Conference Semifinals series.

“He was just professional, he was locked in, patient,” said Sixers head coach Doc Rivers. “I thought Joel did a great job of shooting when he needed to shoot and passing when he needed to pass.”

“I think he was targeting whoever,” Rivers added. “He came in the game, and listen, he wanted to play. The whole team did. I thought our composure overall was really good. You know they’re going to make runs, and they’re gonna make shots. That team is tough. They just keep making tough shots. You got to breathe through it, and I really thought our guys did that.”

All throughout the second-round series, Embiid encouraged his supporting cast to remain aggressive, especially the young guard Tyrese Maxey. As Maxey answered the call and produced 30 points in 41 minutes, the young guard credited Embiid’s aggressiveness for the encouragement, especially on the defensive end of the floor.

“He was extremely aggressive from the tip-off tonight and that was big for us,” said Maxey. “He was dominant defensively. He got some blocked shots. He got mad at us because we were kind of fouling, and he was telling, like, dude, I’m coming from the backside to block shots, so don’t foul straight-up. Make them change the direction, and he’ll try to block it. He was big tonight.”

Embiid’s night helped the Sixers get one step closer to closing out the second round on top. While the Celtics still have two games to work with, a Philadelphia win on Thursday night would end the series once and for all, allowing the Sixers to book their ticket to the Eastern Conference Finals.