At the edge of the abyss in the last moments of Game 4, Joel Embiid’s Sixers released the very big game last night in Boston in order to regain control of the series and find themselves in a favorable position before Game 6 at home tomorrow evening. !
Doc Rivers’ troops quickly put their plan into action with another Maxey-Harden-Embiid trio in the oven and at the mill to start off on the right foot (13-20). But it was between the end of the first and the start of the second quarter that Philly picked up the pace, going 12-1 scored by 3-point missiles from Tyrese Maxey and James Harden to take a 15-point lead. (27-42).
In a strong position, PJ Tucker’s teammates then managed the feat of not cracking in front of the Celtics’ assaults in order to maintain their lead, especially when the Smart-Tatum pair brought the locals down to -5 shortly after (39- 44). Joel Embiid then multiplied the passages on the line and was able to count on precious relays from Tobias Harris to maintain a 9-point lead at the break (49-58).
Without shaking, Philadelphia then continued its business on the return from the locker room, with James Harden at the wand, Joel Embiid at the finish and Tobias Harris as support. At 3-points, Tyrese Maxey brought his stone to the building by bringing the mark to 59-76, contrasting with the nightmarish evening of Al Horford, at 0/7 in the exercise after three quarters.
Despite Jayson Tatum’s repeated attempts to revive his side, the Sixers briefly went to +19, the biggest gap of the game, on a floater from Tyrese Maxey following a perfect serve from Joel Embiid shortly before the start of the last act (69-88). After a 3-pointer from Jayson Tatum to close the period, Boston refused to abdicate, once again relying on JT to reduce the deficit to -11 after only two minutes of play in the fourth quarter (81 -92).
But again, the Sixers did not tremble, with a first 3-pointer from Tyrese Maxey who air-conditioned the TD Garden, then a second signed Joel Embiid on a service from James Harden to take the lead (81-98) .
Tyrese Maxey and Danuel House in transition then closed the deal by allowing their team to return to +19 with 7 minutes remaining (83-102). In a sign of Boston’s humiliation, fans began to leave the room five minutes from time as the Sixers offered no hope to the hosts to win 115-103 despite a notable effort from the Pritchard- Hauser at the end.
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
– A matter of momentum. Did the series change in the last seconds of Game 4 on Sunday evening? After the victory on the wire obtained by Philly, the pressure has in any case changed sides, and this is what was confirmed this night, Boston having been unable to return to its match, finding itself condemned to the exploit after chasing the score throughout the game. Like Philly before Game 4, it’s Boston’s turn to find themselves back against the wall for Game 6 in “Do or die” mode in Pennsylvania this Thursday. To see this time how the Celtics and the Sixers will react to this new challenge, even if the C’s have already come out of a similar situation in Milwaukee last season with the success that we know.
– Joel Embiid’s knee is fine! Thanks for him ! The leader of the Sixers continued his rise to power as has been the case since Game 2 and is now evolving almost at 100%. There was however reason to doubt, when he briefly returned to the locker room, and after having had great difficulties in the previous match against Al Horford. Finally, his short absence simply served to re-consolidate his knee brace, to finally get rid of it at the end of the game. As for Al Horford, he lived a real nightmare, finding himself unable to stop the public enemy number 1 of the Celtics on this match.
TOPS/FLOPS
✅ Joel Embiid. In the continuity of his previous performances, with this night a little more brought by his outside shot, but also his repeated counterattacks, offering himself a nice revenge on the end of the previous match. One word to sum up his performance: domination.
✅ James Harden. Less scorer than in Game 1 and 4, he was however essential to the success of the Sixers, first because he did not water and was content with 8 shots taken. But also by distributing the game perfectly for his teammates. Tyrese Maxey, Tobias Harris but also Danuel House were the first to benefit from it.
✅ Tyrese Maxey. Not far from being the X factor of the match with his 3-point hot shots and his rediscovered address. When he plays at this level, it’s another pair of sleeves for the team opposite in addition to having to manage the Harden-Embiid duo. Warmly congratulated by assistant Sam Cassel and Joel Embiid at the end of the meeting, aware of the importance of his return to his best level for the future.
✅ Tobias Harris. He’s played a small role since the start of the series, and the previous two games in particular. We found a more aggressive Tobias Harris last night. He too contributed to the good performance of the Sixers in hostile terrain.
✅ Jayson Tatum. He was the only one to have tried to shake Philly at the end, multiplying the personal exploits, sometimes leaving the impression that he was fighting alone against everyone.
⛔ Al Horford. Because he had been exceptional in the previous match, in attack as in defense, and because he got through this night, symbolizing in passing the bankruptcy of the Celtics on the outside shot (0/7 for him, 12 on 38 for the team).
THE FOLLOWING
Game 6 in Philadelphia on the night of Thursday to Friday (1h30).
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How to read the stats? Min = Minutes; Shots = Shots made / Shots attempted; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; O = offensive rebound; D= defensive rebound; T = Total Bounces; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost bullets; Ct: Counters; +/- = Point differential when the player is on the field; Points = Points; Eval: player evaluation calculated from positive actions – negative actions.
