Doc Rivers’ ‘Gut’ Decision Led To 76ers’ X-Factor In Game 5 Win Vs. Celtics

BOSTON — Philadelphia 76ers head coach Doc Rivers looked at his cast of bench players prior to Game 5 against the Boston Celtics, hoping one of them could provide a difference-making spark.

Rivers had plenty of options at his disposal and went with an unlikely choice.

Despite some of his assistants hoping he would look elsewhere, Rivers decided to give veteran forward Danuel House Jr. his first meaningful minutes of the series. House backed up his coach, becoming an X-Factor with 10 points on 5-for-7 shooting in a critical 115-103 win at TD Garden that gave the 76ers control of the best-of-seven series with a 3-2 lead.

“You go with a gut,” Rivers said. “I can tell you we talked about it painstakingly yesterday and today between three guys who to play. And I can tell you House was not the pick. But I just picked him. I thought we needed size and we needed athleticism and that’s something that he has. I also thought he’s the guy that has played with James (Harden) the most and he knows how to play with James. So, I thought that was important.”

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House played a mere eight minutes through the first four games of the Eastern Conference semifinals, seeing all that playing time in a lopsided Game 2 defeat. And given the opportunity to make an impact, House had the right mindset — one the lifeless Celtics surely could have used — when called upon.

“Go time,” House said, who ended up playing 14 minutes and also grabbed five rebounds. “Everything on the line right now. Go time.”

The lengthy 6-foot-6 House got to the rim to score three key buckets in the fourth quarter to help squash any notion of a Celtics comeback. He ended up scoring the most points of any bench player on either side, including NBA Sixth Man of the Year Malcolm Brogdon, who finished with just seven points.

“To be honest with you, he really didn’t tell me a role, but he just told me to go in and play,” House said. “My job is to bring energy, showcase a little something for the team and guard the yard and make sure I’m executing plays.”