The Philadelphia 76ers are trailing the Celtics 3-2, but it’s definitely not over; Yankee Scores reports. 

A Historic Defensive Shutdown

With 33 points from Joel Embiid, 25 points and 10 rebounds from Tyrese Maxey and a dominant fourth quarter on the defensive end that saw the Boston Celtics miss their final 14 shots, the 76ers prevailed 113-97 in Game 5 of this Eastern Conference first-round series on Tuesday.

This means the 76ers, who are trailing 3-2 in the series, will have another opportunity to win at home in Game 6 on Thursday.

“Obviously you don’t want to go home, so you do whatever it takes,” said Embiid, who also had eight assists. “I thought defensively we did a much better job, especially not overhelping as we did last game. And yeah, then offensively it becomes a little easier when you’re making shots. We definitely made more shots than we did last game. So that’s a good combination when you want to win a basketball game.”

23 AND 10 (rebounds) FOR RESE! 👊 pic.twitter.com/9OetVnqHSL

— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) April 29, 2026

Philly Shuts Door

The Celtics trailed by just one point to begin the fourth quarter and had 12 good minutes to win at least one series in the playoffs for the ninth time in the last 10 seasons. But while 12 good minutes were played, it wasn’t by Boston.

It was the 76ers who outscored the Celtics 28-11 and kept them to a woesome 3-for-22 shooting (1-for-14 from 2-point range). The 14 consecutive misses to end the game was the longest such run in the playoffs since 2005, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

“First of all, give them credit,” said Jayson Tatum, who led the Celtics with 24 points and 16 rebounds in 40 minutes. “They played well. And yeah, a few looks that we felt good about that we just didn’t make.

“But sometimes that happens. You know, it’s just tough. Not scoring the way you want to puts a lot of pressure on your defense, and they made some plays at the other end.”

Boston’s Home-Court Struggles Continue

The fourth-quarter shooting woes capped off another dismal offensive performance at home for the Celtics — something that has become a storyline in their many deep playoff runs over the past several years. Since the start of the 2023 playoffs — coach Joe Mazzulla’s first with the team — Boston is 19-12 in home games and 17-7 on the road.

They also are 1-7 at home when shooting under 30% from 3-point range, which is what they’ve done in both of their losses in this series.

“I don’t know,” said Payton Pritchard, who had 12 points off the bench for Boston, when asked about the difference between the Celtics at home and on the road. “We’re going to have to figure that out. Can’t really put my finger on it, but honestly, it feels like we’ve been better on the road. We don’t want that to necessarily be the case. We want to be dominant at home and on the road. Definitely got to get that fixed.”

Nick Nurse Shakes Up the Rotation

76ers coach Nick Nurse cut his rotation to essentially six players.  No other reserve played more than seven minutes. Embiid played just under 39 minutes, VJ Edgecombe just under 40, Maxey 42 and Paul George 43.