BOSTON — The Celtics clung to any hope they could find midway through the fourth quarter of Game 5 as they trailed by double digits to the Philadelphia 76ers.
It seemed like they had a momentum-building play when they forced 76ers superstar Joel Embiid into a turnover, leading to Jaylen Brown having a wide-open lane for a layup. But then Embiid forcefully swatted away any chance of a Celtics comeback.
After he coughed up the ball, Embiid hustled back and pulled off a highlight-reel, chase-down block on Brown, sending the Celtics star’s layup attempt far from the rim as he tumbled to the court and collided into the stanchion. It was one of the defining plays for the 76ers, who showcased more effort Tuesday than the Celtics throughout a 115-103 win at TD Garden that gives Philadelphia a 3-2 series lead.
And even Embiid could feel the reverberating impact from his well-time block.
“You try to do the best job possible to interfere with what they want to do,” Embiid said. “Whenever I can block shots, especially in the fourth quarter like that, you never know. He makes that layup and they get some momentum and they start believing. But a play like that it kind of drains the energy from the crowd, from themselves.”
That was one of four blocks Embiid compiled on the night and it was certainly his loudest. Less than two minutes after Embiid’s rejection of Brown, the Celtics waved the proverbial white flag, taking their starters out of the game with Philadelphia’s lead swelling to 21 points.
Embiid’s impact went beyond that outstanding defensive play, though. The NBA MVP notched a team-high 33 points — his third straight game with at least 30 points after scoring just 15 in Game 2 in his return from a knee injury — while also grabbing seven rebounds and dishing out three assists.
“He was just professional,” 76ers head coach Doc Rivers said. “He was just locked in.”
