76ers smother Celtics in Game 5, Joel Embiid & Tyrese Maxey get historic numbers

76ers smother Celtics in Game 5, Joel Embiid & Tyrese Maxey get historic numbers originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Counting a team out early in the NBA Playoffs is the biggest mistake a team can make. The Boston Celtics were expected to close this first round series out against the Philadelphia 76ers but fate had other plans. Joel Embiid played his heart out despite injuries and Tyrese Maxey blazed up to keep their season alive. By the end of Game 5, the 76ers had won with an insane 113-97 score and another shot to extend the series at home.

Embiid & Maxey get big NBA Playoffs numbers vs. Celtics

To start off, Tyrese Maxey was the steady hand that the 76ers back court needed. Coach Nick Nurse made him play 43 minutes and it paid off. Maxey scored 25 points by knocking down 55.56% of his field goal attempts and going 30% from three-point range. He also dropped five assists to keep the 76ers' offensive momentum infectious. Defensively, the 76ers guard also tortured the Celtics by grabbing 10 rebounds, notching two steals, and getting a block.

Maxey is the first 76ers guard with a 25-point, 10-rebound, and five-assist game in the NBA Playoffs since Hersey Hawkins, per StatMuse.

Joel Embiid, on the other hand, looked like the panacea for all of the 76ers' woes in the NBA Playoffs. The former NBA MVP played an astounding 39 minutes despite having to head to the locker room after experiencing a leg injury. This did not stop Embiid making life hard for the Celtics. He scored 33 points on an impressive 52.17% field goal percentage and knocking down nine of his 10 shots from the free throw line. Embiid also dropped eight assists to keep the 76ers offense running.